Hyderabad, May 12 (). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress will pose the main challenge to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the Telangana Assembly elections to be held later this year.
The BJP, which won just one assembly seat and a negligible vote share in 2018, has overtaken the Congress to become the main challenger to the ruling party.
The BJP had won four Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019. In addition, it won two assembly by-elections and made a dramatic rise in state politics with an impressive performance in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections.
BJP under the leadership of Bandi Sanjay Kumar is in aggressive mode to achieve mission 2023. With the aim of making Telangana its second gateway to South India after Karnataka, the entire national leadership of the party is focusing on the state.
KCR wants to expand BRS beyond Telangana with the slogan of Ab Ki Baar Kisan Sarkar and challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the other hand BJP is doing everything possible to keep them busy on their own home turf.
For the first time after the formation of Telangana state in 2014, BJP is seeing electoral prospects. Adopting Hindutva politics and targeting KCR on the issue of family rule and alleged corruption, the saffron party seems confident of coming to power.
In the 2018 assembly elections, TRS retained power by winning 88 seats. The BJP could win just one seat while coming second in only nine constituencies. The deposits of its candidates were forfeited in most of the seats.
However, a few months later, the BJP surprised everyone in the Lok Sabha elections. The party not only won the Secunderabad seat again but also wrested away the Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad seats from the TRS.
Two victories in the bypolls also strengthened the BJP. However, his hopes of scoring a hat-trick of victories in the Munugode bypoll were dashed by the BRS in November last year.
An impressive performance in the 2021 elections in GHMC also boosted the morale of the saffron party. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J.P. Driven by an aggressive campaign by its top central leaders, including Nadda, the party increased its tally in the 150-member municipal body from four to 48 in the last elections.
After the victory, the saffron party has started seeing a real chance for itself in the coming elections. This is the reason why the party is putting all its might here.
During the last few months Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda and several Union ministers have visited the state. BJP’s national executive meeting was also held here. It is clear from these that how much importance the party is giving to Telangana.
Political analysts believe that the BJP is in the mood for an aggressive attack.
As elections approach, the saffron party may intensify efforts to capitalize on sensitive issues for polarization on religious lines.
The BJP is raising emotive issues that can help garner votes of the majority community, especially in constituencies in and around Hyderabad and other urban areas of the state.
After Bandi Sanjay became the state president in 2020, the BJP went a long way in taking political advantage from sensitive issues. This is being seen as an attempt to challenge AIMIM on its home turf. He started his statewide Praja Sangram Yatra crossing the historic Charminar from Bhagyalakshmi Temple.
In fact, the temple, whose legitimacy has sparked communal tension several times in the past, has become the focal point of BJP politics in the state over the years.
However, despite its tall claims and efforts to project the next election as a BRS vs BJP fight, the fact remains that the saffron party does not have a strong presence on the ground across the state. The BJP’s presence is believed to be limited to parts of North Telangana and Greater Hyderabad.
Political analysts say that apart from the Modi model of governance, the BJP has no other issue in Telangana. However, BRS is contesting this as a failed model.
The crowded political ground of the state can be an obstacle in BJP’s mission 2023. The presence of multiple parties can lead to division of anti-incumbency votes.
An alliance with actor Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party, Telugu Desam Party and YSR Telangana Party could give it an edge.
Pawan Kalyan has an alliance with the BJP in neighboring Andhra Pradesh, but it is not clear whether it will happen in Telangana as well.
The Congress has been completely demoralized by a series of defections, humiliating defeats in bypolls and infighting after the 2014 and 2018 elections, though the Telangana region was once its bastion.
Despite being defeated in two assembly elections even after claiming credit for the creation of Telangana state, the party failed to learn its lesson and remains divided at home.
Despite this, the Congress was at least the main rival to the BRS in 2014 and 2018, but this time the party is facing elections even without this position.
The resignation of the sitting MLA from Munugode constituency, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, and his defection to the BJP late last year, forcing a bypoll, dealt another blow to the Congress. Its candidate finished third and his deposit was forfeited.
The Congress had won 22 seats in the 119-member Telangana Assembly in 2014. In 2018, it could win only 19 seats, though it had an electoral alliance with TDP, Left parties and some smaller parties.
In 2021, the central leadership appointed a new state president, Revanth Reddy, after ignoring several senior leaders and strong contenders. A section of leaders openly revolted as he switched over from TDP to Congress ahead of 2018 elections.
The change of leadership could not change the fortunes of the party. Many senior leaders started openly attacking Revanth Reddy for sidelining him.
The steady decline has raised fresh questions on the leadership of Revanth Reddy, whose style of functioning has angered even some seniors. He alleged that AICC in-charge Manickam Tagore is with Revanth Reddy. Strongly the central leadership had to intervene Manikrao Thakre was made the new president.
While the Congress seems to have bowed out to the main challenger, the BJP, the grand old party still has some ground in some districts.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s maiden public meeting in Telangana on May 8 brought some cheer to the party camp. Party leaders are hopeful that as the elections approach, the Congress will consolidate to regain power in Telangana.
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