While Eatala Rajender has gone ahead and made the announcement, it remains to be seen if the party agrees with his move.
Published Oct 12, 2023 | 8:29 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 12, 2023 | 8:29 PM
File photo of Eatala Rajender. (EatalaRajenderOfficial/Facebook)
Telangana BJP MLA Eatala Rajender on Thursday, 12 October, announced that he would contest from two Assembly constituencies — Huzurabad and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s Gajwel — in the 30 November polls in the state.
He made this announcement while interacting with the cadre in the Huzurabad Assembly constituency and seeking their blessings.
Chief MInister KCR won from Gajwel in the 2018 elections and a few weeks ago he declared he would also contest from two places — from Gajwel as well as Kamareddy Assembly constituency.
With Rajender deciding to contest from Gajwel along with Huzurabad, the contest between him and KCR would be more interesting this time.
Of the total 119 Assembly seats in Telangana, the contest in Gajwel will be more attention-grabbing than any other.
Rajender made his intention clear, but whether the BJP central leadership would accept it or not is a question till the announcement of the candidates for all the 119 Assembly constituencies in the state.
Rajender, who is also the BJP Election Management Committee chairman, won the by-election from Huzurabad on the BJP ticket in November 2021 after he resigned from the TRS (now BRS) and joined the national party. He won the by-election with a margin of 23,855 votes.
Rajender quit the BRS after he was dropped from the state Cabinet following land encroachment allegations.
Rajender was the health minister before he was dropped from the Cabinet. After joining the BJP, Rajender is striving to strengthen the saffron party in the state.
He coordinated with several leaders from other parties including the BRS and the Congress and persuaded them to join the BJP for a bright future.
Meanwhile, chaotic scenes were witnessed at the state BJP office in Nampally in Hyderabad during the visit of the BJP MP and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national president Tejasvi Surya on Thursday.
It all started when the followers of Telangana BJYM president Bhanu Prakash took strong objection to the holding of an election preparatory meeting without the presence of their leader.
His followers raised slogans condemning the party leaders for conducting the meeting in the absence of Bhanu Prakash, resulting in chaos.
This prompted the former MLC N Ramchander Rao to get down from the dais and try to pacify the irate activists.
As the activists refused to budge, the other leaders forced them to leave the meeting hall. Tejasvi Surya, along with the BJYM national treasurer Sai Prasad, also left the party office.
This added more fuel to the fire, inviting the wrath of the activists. Sources told South First said both Bhanu Prakash and Sai are vying for tickets from the Malkajgiri Assembly constituency. After Surya left with Sai, Bhanu Prakash remained incommunicado with the senior party leaders.
Telangana BJP In-charge Tarun Chugh, who was also in the party office, and Ramchander Rao tried to contact Bhanu Prakash, but in vain.
Bhanu Prakash is facing several cases for holding various protests including one at the office of Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) after the question paper leak case came to light.
A few months ago, he and his followers conducted a separate protest at the office of the Director-General of Police and entered the office premises and raised slogans. On his part, Sai has been taking on sitting Malkajgiri MLA Maynampally Hanumanth Rao, who recently quit the BRS and joined the Congress, for allegedly indulging in land grabbing.
He said the criminal cases were booked against him at the behest of Hanumanth Rao. Both Bhanu Prakash and Sai are seriously planning to contest from the Malkajgiri Assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, Union Tourism Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Thursday said a comprehensive probe would be ordered into the irregularities committed by the BRS government while executing various projects especially irrigation projects in the State.
Speaking to media persons after welcoming leaders from other parties into the BJP, he said the people would teach a fitting lesson to the BRS as they were vexed with the misrule of KCR for the last nine years.
