In a surprising move, the Congress party's Telangana unit chief Revanth Reddy and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met with Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Sunday night to stake claim to form the government in the state. With the party winning 64 out of Telangana's 119 seats in the recent elections, they expressed their intention to lead the government.

The decision to stake claim on the night of the counting itself has raised eyebrows, as experts suggest that the Congress may be feeling jittery despite having a clear majority in the 119-member house. The majority mark required is 60 seats.

During the meeting with the governor, DK Shivakumar stated, "We have staked claim to form the government with 65 members in this newly elected house. We have called a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party at 9.30 am tomorrow." The Congress Legislature Party's meeting is scheduled to take place on the following day.

Revanth Reddy, who was appointed the Telangana Congress president in June 2021, is being credited with revitalizing the party and leading it to victory in a state where the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), led by K Chandrashekar Rao, had appeared to have strong popular support. KCR's party had been in power since the state's formation in 2014.

If successful, Revanth Reddy is expected to become Telangana's next chief minister, leading the Congress party in the state. However, the Congress' success in Telangana stands as the only silver lining for the party on an otherwise dismal day. The party faced defeats in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan while failing to dislodge the BJP from power in Madhya Pradesh as well.

The loss in Madhya Pradesh appears to be particularly disappointing for the Congress, as the BJP managed to secure over 160 seats in the 230-member Assembly despite ruling the state for almost two decades.

Following these election results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed party workers, expressing confidence in the BJP's performance in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. PM Modi stated, "Today's mandate proves people have zero-tolerance towards corruption, appeasement, and dynastic politics. Some people are saying this hat trick has guaranteed the 2024 victory."

With Congress staking claim to form the government in Telangana, the political landscape of the state eagerly awaits the outcome of the Congress Legislature Party meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning.