(Image source from: Will Congress' divide and rule gambit pay off?})

The Union Cabinet on Thursday rubber stamped Center's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh amidst resistance from anti-Telangana supporters and central ministers from southern India. Now the big question is will Congress' Telangana gambit pay off? Will polarizing the statehood issue help Congress reap rich dividends in the upcoming elections? Will Congress be able to pocket all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the region? How will it overcome the Telangana tangle to make a truce with Jaganmohan Reddy?

In a bid to woo the YSR Congress chief and cinch the state's 42 seats, Congress made a calculated gamble by splitting the territories, a decision that didn't go down well with the state ministry, anti-Telangana supporters and even Jaganmohan Reddy himself, who has now vowed to contest the Cabinet's decision.

As Cabinet ministers like K S Rao and Pallam Raju take a stand against the bifurcation of the states, Congress is staring at a wipeout in 25 seats of Seemandhra. Likewise in Telangana, it will have to strike a deal with TRS honcho  K Chandrasekhara Rao to win.

Congress, however, is optimistic and hoping for a "best-case scenario". While it intends to cinch the assembly polls in Telangana, it knows that for the rebel outfit YSR Congress will need its support to fulfill Jaganmohan's CM dreams. If that happens at all, then Congress might end up establishing its rule over both the states created out of Andhra Pradesh.

AW: Suchorita Dutta