BJP win a watershed moment or yet another bubble
Will the BJP's victory in elections to two Legislative Council seats, one graduates and the other teachers in the highly politically sensitive north Telangana, be a watershed moment in the party’s dream to capture the state in 2028 or become yet another bubble as happened in the 2023 Assembly elections after victories in a few bypolls, is what every stakeholder in the state political space has begun pondering over.
Hyderabad: Will the BJP's victory in elections to two Legislative Council seats, one graduates and the other teachers in the highly politically sensitive north Telangana, be a watershed moment in the party’s dream to capture the state in 2028 or become yet another bubble as happened in the 2023 Assembly elections after victories in a few bypolls, is what every stakeholder in the state political space has begun pondering over.
The victories in the Council elections, beyond any doubt, were resounding and an indicator of the people's pulse given the spread of the electorate across the four undivided districts of Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad and Adilabad, and more than 40 Assembly seats. It sent many messages to leaders within the BJP and those of the rival parties including Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy who, unlike his predecessors, carried out an extensive campaign for the polls.
Jubilant BJP state chief and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday declared that the results were a testimony to the people's strong desire to choose the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP’s ‘double engine sarkar’ as an alternative to the corrupt BRS and Congress regimes.
Kishan Reddy, who is all set to relinquish the party post in the next few days, literally sweated it out during the campaign along with Union minister of state Bandi Sanjay. "The two leaders coming together and getting support from old-timers is a clear message to newcomers and should end infighting in the party," a senior BJP leader said, referring to Sanjay repeatedly acknowledging Kishan Reddy's leadership skills, and the party's OBC wing chief Dr K. Laxman quickly jumping in to give the entire credit of the victory to the two Union ministers.
Amidst the contention of leaders like Etala Rajendar that the party should tone down its aggressive Hindutva stand in Telangana and reach out to all sections gaining ground, Sanjay countered all such talk, declaring the result as a “Ramzan” gift to the Congress. Sources said Union home minister Amit Shah had categorically told party leaders that there would not be any compromise on core ideological issues including Hindutva even if there was a delay in making electoral gains.
The BRS has more to worry, though its senior leader and former minister T. Harish Rao dismissed the victory as insignificant. “When there is a strong anti-incumbency, the party that has grassroot cadre and leadership like the BRS will benefit and not the BJP,” Harish Rao said.
The ground reality, however, shows that the rout in the Lok Sabha polls, shying away from contesting the MLC polls and indirect moves to get close to the BJP despite the latter’s strong resolve to not entertain it, has indeed weakened the BRS and is forcing its cadre to look for greener pastures.
Despite largescale welfare measures including the `30,000-crore loan waiver and farm assistance besides recruitment for 50,000 government jobs, the Congress couldn’t muster support of the graduates.
While Revanth Reddy waged a lone battle, the failure of the Pradesh Congress Committee in micro management cost the party in the elections.
“The YSRC in AP paid a heavy price for ignoring the warning bells in the MLC polls. It is high time the Congress central leadership strengthens the Chief Minister by giving him leverage in running the administration and the party,” a senior Congress leader told Deccan Chronicle.
