BJP shelves plans to involve Union ministers for Munugode campaign

HYDERABAD: The BJP has decided to change its campaign strategy of inviting a slew of national leaders for the Munugode byelection, and put more faith in its state leaders and party workers. The party has, at least for now, put on the back burner its initial plans to bring in prominent party members and Union ministers to campaign for the November 3 byelection.

However, the party national general secretaries, Tarun Chugh, and Sunil Bansal, holding charge of Telangana BJP affairs, will continue to visit the constituency to monitor how the campaign is faring and change the strategies as needed.

Top party leaders told Deccan Chronicle that the original plan was to invite Union home minister Amit Shah, party president J.P. Nadda, as well as Union ministers who could speak to different voter groups based on their communities. This has now been shelved. The question is how much of addition to the campaign outcomes can quick visits by top leaders deliver, a senior party leader said.

“Both Shah and Nadda have visited Telangana a few times in recent months, and Shah also addressed a public meeting in the Munugode constituency. Therefore, the thinking is to rely on ourselves rather than asking senior national leaders for direct campaign support,” the party leader said.

State party leaders believe that any instructions with regard to tweaking campaign strategies or overcoming challenges are effectively taken care of because Chugh and Bansal are monitoring the campaign and communicating with the party leadership in New Delhi.

Currently, Bansal is in Munugode constituency overseeing organisational matters. He is credited with the campaign that saw Yogi Adityanath return to power in Uttar Pradesh despite scepticism from many.

BJP leaders said the biggest challenge they faced was the pumping of money by the TRS, something their party simply could not match. “Right now, we are almost at even keel in the poll battle,” another senior party leader deeply involved in the campaigning said. “But we believe that we are slowly gaining the edge over TRS.”