Hyderabad: Telangana BJP is planning to go solo in the state. The party wants to field its candidates in the ensuing elections to Secunderabad Cantonment Board which is held on non-party basis putting an end to a tie-up with the Telugu Desam, but unexpected pressure forced state party leadership to continue alliance.
“I really don’t know why the alliance is continued for Cantonment Board elections. There were plans to go alone.
Though elections are held on non party basis, all political parties either field candidates or back prominent ones,” a senior BJP leader who has a say in national party affairs told this newspaper.
Sources asserted the Telangana BJP would drift away from TD before the GHMC elections.
Despite strong desire to go alone, state BJP president G. Kishan Reddy was forced to have a tie-up with the TD in the 2014 elections which were hit by lack of coordination.
In spite of a lukewarm relationship, the TD agreed to back BJP candidate Ramachander Rao in the coming MLC polls for the graduate constituency and after some hiccups are also together in the Cantonment polls as some leaders favour alliance.
However, senior party leaders assert majority are in favour of the party going solo in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections which is likely to be held after a year after completion of delimitation of divisions from the present 150 to more.
GHMC elections could see the end of BJP and TD alliance in Hyderabad and State and party gearing up before the polls.
Senior BJP leaders including party chief G Kishan Reddy, Dr Nagam Janardhan Reddy and others had reportedly sounded the Central party leadership to allow the party to go alone.
The Central leadership has no objection, but wanted the party State unit to improve its base. We told party leadership BJP can alone fill the political vacuum in Telangana and can take on TRS.
While Congress still has some base, Telugu Desam base eroded after bifurcation. But the problem is some leaders are keen to continue alliance with Telugu Desam, which is pulling the alliance, remarked the senior party leader.
BJP has 5 MLAs in the present assembly out of 120 MLAs and 6 corporators in the GHMC 150 divisions. In GHMC, Congress has 51 corporators, Telugu Desam 45, MIM 43, PRP, MBT one each and independents 3.
Party leaders assert Modi wave and party credibility will help strengthen the party in Telangana region since the State BJP fought for separate State and was part of TJAC before it struck alliance with TD in the last polls.
