Hyderabad: BJPappears to have lost steam in Telangana aheadofthe November 30 polls to the state Assembly.
While it’s a common sightofparty hopping by leaders during the poll season, there has been no big joining inBJPin the last few days that can create a ‘wave’ in favourofthe saffron party in Telangana.
Instead, leaders like Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy whose fight in the Munugode bypoll had created a lotofhype forBJPjust a year ago, have quit the party, and a few others who have joined the saffron party with a lotofexpectations are feelingsuffocatedand looking for a vent or way out.
Barring former ministers EtelaRajender and DK Aruna, others who joinedBJPover the years from other parties like Congress and BRS have not been seen activeoflate.
While D K Aruna has joined theBJPfrom Congress, Rajender quit the ruling BRS to join the saffron party. DK Aruna was subsequently made the party’s national vice president.Rajender’s by-poll fight from Huzurabad on aBJPticket in 2021 had garnered nationwide attention.
Leaders like former MPs Konda Visweswar Reddy, G Vivek Venkata Swamy, and Vijayshanthi have been time and again denying rumoursofquitting theBJP. But, they have often held private and internal meetings to discuss their ‘position’ in the party.
These leaders have increasingly felt that they are on the wrong side to take on BRS supremo and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his family. They now believe that the central leadershipofCongresshad occupied the space due to a lackofproper focus on the state.
Most importantly, slowing down the probe into the Delhi liquor scam by central agencies like ED and CBI in which KCR’s daughter K Kavitha’s involvement was suspected had only disappointed manyofthese leaders.
Dissident leaders like former MPs Vijayashanthi, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and G Vivek were also placed in different committees that the party had appointed in recent times for the Assembly polls.
“The majorityofthem had joinedBJPwith high hopes and expectations after the 2019 General Elections in whichBJPhad won four Lok Sabha seats. All those who were not comfortable either in BRS or Congress had found an opportunity inBJPto take on the KCR family. But, they now strongly feel that they are on the wrong side to fight KCR. That’s what even Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy hinted while quittingBJPto rejoin Congress,” a close aideofoneofthe dissidentBJPleaders toldDH.
TheBJPhad built momentum in Telangana after winning four Lok Sabha seats in 2019 polls and at one point it was believed that the saffron party had replaced Congress as the principal challenger to ruling BRS.
The party which had managed to get just one seat in the 2018 Assembly polls registered an impressive performance in GHMC polls in 2020 by bagging 48ofthe 150 wards and also back-to-back wins in Huzurabad and Dubbaka bypoll.
(Published 27 October 2023, 06:31 IST)