BJP targets Telangana 

Dr. Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the BJP is meeting on the 2nd of July in Hyderabad. Outwardly it may look as a routine annual meet but the NEC this year is a significant one as the venue of the meeting was selected after announcing the party’s intention to come to power in Telangana. BJP is known to adopt state specific strategies and it also has the history of dethroning the established ruling party as they did in Haryana and Tripura. Congress was defeated in Haryana and CPM was shown the door out in Tripura despite BJP not having the established organization strength in those two states. That the BJP top leadership of Modi and Shah are known for their political shrewdness in identifying the weakness of the opponent and going for the kill at the opportune time. It is because of their past victories in other states that the political watchers are closely watching for the next move of BJP in Telangana post its NEC. It is this specific target of Telangana by the BJP which is causing worry for both TRS and its supremo KCR.

BJP’s announcement of southern conquer through its southern gateway Karnataka and into Telangana in the 2023 state assembly elections is worrying  already weakened KCR and scurrying for cover through the help of other regional parties and is preparing to join hands with Congress, his sworn political enemy in the state.  KCR’s only ideology is the sticking to power and anointing his son on the throne next.

Even before BJP’s full-fledged implementation of its strategy, KCR has identified BJP as the main rival in the up-coming state elections, which he has a mind to advance. Though KCR could identify his main political rival he faltering in formulating his counter strategy to tackle the BJP. KCR’s confusion lead him to make abortive attempts and burn political fingers. For a while he tried to take refuge in the tent of regional parties and float ‘Anti Congress- Anti BJP front’. When his idea was not latched up by no regional leader he withdrew to his favorite hideout, farm house, to lick his wounded ego. Then he skipped the meet of opposition parties convened by Mamata Banerjee as he feared to share the table with Congress for obvious reasons. He is afraid of BJP’s castigation as friend of Congress. To divert his fast falling graph, KCR then leaked news of his alleged idea of forming a national party, tentatively named Bhrata Rashtra Samiti (BRS),  which he personally hyped as a ‘soon to be sensational news’. That national party idea ended as a damp squib. With no other regional party coming to his aid KCR is left with no option but to send his son to the show of nomination filing by opposition sponsored Yashwanth Sinha, despite staying away from the opposition camp in the selection of presidential candidate. The Congress strategically embarrassed KTR, son of KCR and working president of TRS, thus exposing inconsistency in KCR politics.  On his arrival back in Hyderabad KTR was forced to explain his apparent association with Congress.  The pro-Congress decision of KCR is apparently a jittery reaction to the BJP’s moves in challenging the family hegemony in the state built by KCR using the Telangana sentiment. That the voters of Telangana realized their political mistake of handing over the state to a family and are searching for a suitable alternative. The mood of the Telangana voter is evident in the two by elections where BJP candidates handed over drubbing to the ruling TRS.  

 BJP is making a determined attempt to breach the Southern barrier. Its previous attempts were not fruitful beyond Karnataka, their gateway into South India. Despite being in power in Karnataka more than once the BJP couldn’t make any visible expansion into other States. BJP was in alliance with other parties in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to fight the elections. However it has chosen Telangana for solo fight as it believed in its strength in the newly formed state. Its initial attempt in 2014 was not that successful and swept by the strong pro-Telangana sentiment created by KCR. Even the 2018 assembly election results have not given any favourable verdict to BJP as it got only one seat out of 117 seats.  Determined under party president Amit Shah and his strategy BJP bounced back in 2019 Lok Sabha elections winning four seats. That was a tremendous boost and it was carried further in the greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation where but for the support of highly communal MIM party’s support to KCR the BJP would have captured the Mayor seat. The enthusiasm of the urban voters was then taken into rural areas by the BJP cadre and defeated the TRS in two by-elections. That dented the confidence of KCR and his TRS. Now he is looking for a way out to retain his power.

Sensing a chance to break the hold of Telangana on the voters the BJP has chalked out a special contact program. As per the plan all the National Executive Members of BJP will fan out into all the 117 constituencies of the state before the commencement of the executive meet scheduled on 2nd July. Each member is targeted to spend two full days in the constituencies along with the local leaders. The purpose of their visit is to gather the voters’ feedback and gaze the mood of the voters. The other intention behind the special contact program is acquainting the local BJP leaders with that of central leaders ahead of the state assembly elections. This assignment to the party seniors is projected as the brain child if PM Narendra Modi. BJP has one advantage in Telangana as that state, though located in the south India is a state where voters are familiar with Hindi. People speak and understand the Hindi and the districts bordering the Maharashtra and Karnataka have the capacity to impact the Telangana voters through Marathi and Kannada. That BJP is in power in Karnataka and is highly influential in Maharashtra has the advantage to the party. 

The outreach program, if goes as planned, will boost the morale of the BJP leadership in the state and galvanize the cadre to take on TRS. Post BJP national executive meet it will be a different ball game in Telangana as many leaders in other parties including TRS and Congress are sure to lend their support to BJP either by joining the saffron tent or rooting for its victory indirectly.

(Author is retired professor and occasional contributor for dailies and magazines. The views expressed are personal opinion of the author. He can be reached at duggarajusrinivasarao@gmail.com)