KCR's big political gambit: Telangana's assembly likely to be dissolved paving the way for early polls, the Chief Minister's lucky number '6' notwithstanding

Update at 15:12 PM: TRS announces 105 Assembly candidates:

Update at 14:16 PM: Notification declaring KCR as caretaker Chief Minister

Update at 14:15 PM: 

Update at 13:34 PM: Telangana Chief Minister KCR dissolves the state's assembly. Reaches the Governor's residence to tender his resignation.

Update at 11:20 AM: K Chandrasekhar Rao to hold a press conference at 2:30 PM. 

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Telangana's first and incumbent Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) appears all set to dissolve the state's assembly on Thursday, lucky numbers permitting, thereby adding one more state to the list of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram that will be heading to the polls in just a couple of months.

WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN ON THURSDAY

A cabinet meeting is likely to take place at 12:57 pm on Thursday at KCR's 'Pragathi Bhavan' camp office during which a number of decisions that will clear the way for the assembly's dissolution are likely to be taken, especially regarding mandatory and impending transfers of bureaucrats, and implementation of some of the many recommendations of the Pay Revision commission -- essentially all manner of decisions, in some cases interim ones, that must be made but can't once the assembly is dissolved.

KCR'S 'LUCKY' NUMBERS

Earlier, the cabinet meeting had been tentatively scheduled for 6:45 am. The reason for the specific timings is that KCR considers the number 6 lucky.

Hence:

• September 6 - for obvious reasons
• 6:45 am - as the numbers 6+4+5 add up to 15, and 1+5 then adds up to 6
• 12:57 pm: as the numbers 1+2+5+7 add up to 15 and 1+5 then adds up to 6

After the likely dissolution of the Telangana Assembly, KCR may meet with the state's Governor ESL Narasimhan who will likely ask him to continue as interim Chief Minister till polls are held. KCR may then hold a press conference from the office of his TRS party. Alternately, the cabinet may make a resolution to dissolve the assembly, which KCR will then announce on the floor of the house. All legislators have been told to be present in Hyderabad.

WHY KCR WANTS EARLY POLLS

KCR is insistent on early polls for a number of reasons, all of which fall under the larger umbrella of 'favourable conditions'. These reasons include the monsoons and the prevailing political narrative. An internal survey of the TRS party also concurred with holding early elections.

The Chief Minister and his party have been laying the groundwork for the advancement of elections for the last few months. KCR has been to the national capital a number of times, meeting the Prime Minister twice, while his son KTR has also been coordinating in New Delhi to ensure there's no hitch in the party's plans. Earlier KCR had been a big proponent of simultaneous elections (including over One Nation-One Poll), but appears to have since changed his mind, at least for this particular election.

WHAT THE OPPOSITION IS SAYING

KCR held a mega rally last Sunday on the outskirts of state capital Hyderabad where he had extolled his schemes. However, it is his schemes that opposition parties have targeted. While the BJP is said to not be averse to early elections, the Congress has been attacking him alleging (a) that he had been elected for a 5-year term, not a 4.5-year term and (b) that many of his schemes and promises remain unfulfilled, including a 'KG to PG' free education scheme, a '2BHK' housing scheme for economically weaker sections, and others.