BJP struggling to erase pally-with-BRS tag, settles for third place

HYDERABAD: Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearing the air that he will not let a corrupt and family-run BRS into the NDA fold, senior BJP leaders in Telangana believe that the damage is already done and the party is destined to drop to third position in the ensuing elections.

Party senior leader Konda Vishweshvar Reddy was on record saying that the average voter in the State believed that there was an understanding between the BJP and the BRS resulting in the delay in the arrest of K Kavitha, daughter of the BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao in the Delhi liquor scam case.

The party, while trying to project itself as a viable alternative to the BRS in the State was also trying to placate leaders such as Konda Vishweshwar Reddy. The Prime Minister allayed fears of the senior BJP leaders during a public meeting in Mahbubnagar on October 1, by coming heavily on the family-run Government of KCR in Telangana.

While BJP blames the Congress for creating such a dilemma in the minds of voters to keep the anti-incumbency vote intact, the decline in the initial euphoria in the BJP cadres could be traced to the inaction of the ED and CBI on K Kavitha in the liquor scam case.

The BJP Telangana unit to set the house right, formed 14 election committees and appointed dissident leaders as incharges. Vijayashanthi was made the chairman of the agitation committee. P. Murlidhar Rao to head chargesheet committee, Rajagopal Reddy, appointed as chairman of the screening committee for the polls. Vishweshwar Reddy was named as convener of the manifesto committee and publicity committee.

Vivek Venkatswamy was appointed chairperson of the manifesto committee. Vijaya Rama Rao was made convener of the SC constituency coordination committee and Bandi Sanjay Sanjay Bandi will hold additional charge of the public meetings committee.

Arvind Dharmapuri will lead the social media committee, and BJP’s OBC Morcha chief K. Laxman will head the social outreach committee. Former MLA D.K. Aruna was made chairperson of the influencer outreach committee, Marri Shashidhar Reddy will chair a committee on issues about the Election Commission.

Earlier, disgruntled leaders who went missing from the PM’s rally such as Vishweshwar Reddy, Vivek Venkatswamy, Vijayashanthi, G. Vijaya Rama Rao and former MLA Enugu Ravinder Reddy held separate meetings and discussed the future course of action.

Certain sections of the Telangana BJP unit believe that the replacement of the flamboyant Bandi Sanjay with Kishan Reddy, who is not a people’s man like Bandi was the first indication that there was an understanding with the ruling BRS in the State. making of Etela Rajender who opposed Bandi as chairman of the election management committee, confirmed their fear.