Will KCR's gamble pay off in Telangana?

Will KCR's gamble of declaring his candidates well in advance pay off this time? This is the question that is being asked by the political observers after KCR's surprise decision to go ahead with the old team of candidates. Many of the candidates are facing heavy anti-incumbency in their respective constituencies and this could even end up being KCR's undoing.

Despite several survey reports which painted several MLAs black and suggested their replacement, KCR took the gamble and renominated most of the candidates. But, how will he cope with the anger over the sitting MLA's working style? Will the voters forgive them and give them another chance to rule for five years?

Sources said that KCR feared that at least 30 sitting MLAs might enter the fray as rebel candidates if denied the tickets and this could mar his electoral fortunes considerably. Hence, he decided to talk to the rival ticket aspirants and convince them instead of allowing the sitting MLAs to rebel.

Many political pundits feel that the sitting MLAs now have at least three months' time to talk to their detractors, convince or cajole them and bring them around. They also have enough time to reach out to the voters and convince them to give them another chance. The pundits believe that this could be a calculated risk for KCR. It will either make him or break him, say pundits.