New Delhi, July 31: The ruling UPA on Tuesday decided to split Andhra Pradesh and create Telangana, acceding to a 45-year-old demand for statehood in a bid to win local support and stymie political rivals ahead of the 2014 general elections.Telangana, likely to be born as the 29th state of India sometime next year, will comprise 10 out of the 23 districts of united Andhra. For the first decade, Hyderabad, the capital and jewel in the crown, will be shared by Telangana and the rest of the state, which will retain the name Andhra Pradesh. 

The move to create the new state comes nearly four years after then home minister P Chidambaram announced in December 2009 that Congress wanted to initiate the process;  the party’s resolve wilted in the face of fierce opposition from Andhra. 

But this time around, the looming general elections strengthened its spine, and support from the opposition BJP — also keen to win brownie points ahead of the polls —should ensure smooth passage through Parliament.