All the major parties seem to be waiting for their rivals to blink first as forging alliances has apparently become a tricky affair in the newly-born state of Telangana, which has 17 parliamentary and 119 assembly constituencies that will go to polls on April 30.
Each party is holding the cards close to its chest and also keeping all options open on possible tie-ups amid a lot of kite-flying on electoral friendships.
As time is short for the last day of filing nominations, the parties are expected to soon clear the air over the pre-poll alliances. But what have been confounding the scene are the tricks each party seems to be playing.
As every party is obviously seeking to bank on the Telangana factor, none is willing to concede the ground to the other.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), for instance, had ruled out alliance with Congress and even cold-shouldered CPI on a possible tie-up. But when Congress and CPI have almost finalised their electoral alliance, and with Telugu Desam and BJP truck also looked certain, TRS once again opened its channel to Congress.
According to sources, CPI is said to be playing the mediator "in the larger interest of Telangana" between Congress and TRS, which is weighing several permutations and combinations on the prospective alliances essentially to avoid a split in the so-called "pro-Telangana vote".
"Our party cadres feel an alliance (with Congress) is inevitable as without it not only Congress but we may also stand to lose. This will eventually benefit the TDP-BJP combine. We want to avoid a split in the pro-Telangana vote," a senior leader of TRS pointed out.
TRS' former MP B Vinod Kumar rushed to New Delhi to make last ditch efforts for a truck with Congress, party sources said.
