HYDERABAD: All or nothing. If some leaders in the Telangana BJP have their way, that is the stand the party would take just to prove the point that it is not intimidated by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and take on his members wherever they will contest the coming Assembly elections from.
The issue has been broached with senior party leaders Prakash Javadekar, Rajya Sabha member and elections in-charge for BJP in the state, and Sunil Bansal, general secretary in charge of party’s organisational affairs and co-incharge for state elections, sources said.
If the plan to pit BJP leaders possessing some firepower against top BRS leaders works out, the state could see Etala Rajendra facing off with the Chief Minister in Gajwel, Arvind Dharmapuri taking on Rao in Kamareddy.
The plan also envisages former state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar to take on BRS working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao in Sircilla, and former national BJP general secretary P. Muralidhar Rao squaring off with minister T. Harish Rao in Siddipet.
“By doing so, we can cut down the time that these top BRS leaders spend campaigning in other constituencies, where their absence will be sorely felt by its party candidates. Most ruling party MLAs rely on KCR, KTR and Harish Rao to pull them through as they are aware that they cannot win by themselves,” a party leader aware of the proposal told Deccan Chronicle.
“The idea has not been dismissed and there is hope the national leadership will take the suggestion into consideration when it finalizes the candidate list,” the leader added.
The BJP, those batting for this proposal, say will also once and for all be able to put to rest any speculation that it had some kind of a secret understanding with the BRS. “By putting some of our best and popular people against KCR and his family, even is some of us lose, we should also be able to put an end to this debate,” the leader said.
State BJP president and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy told Deccan Chronicle that there was no such proposal yet, and at this point of time, it was too early to talk about who will take on whom. “But the party will ensure that KCR and his family will face tough competition from the BJP,” he said.
