Interestingly, the strong leaders of the saffron party bit the dust while nondescript leaders emerged victorious.
Published Dec 03, 2023 | 9:23 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 03, 2023 | 9:24 PM
(Clockwise from top left) The BJP's winners: A Maheshwar Reddy from Nirmal, T Raja Singh from Goshamahal, Dhanpal Suryanarayana from Nizamabad Urban, K Venkataramana Reddy from Kamareddy, P Harish Babu from Sirpur, Rama Rao Pawar from Mudhole, P Rakesh Reddy from Armur, and Payal Shankar from Adilabad. (MenonArvindBJP/X)
Did the BJP queer the pitch for the BRS in the Telangana Assembly elections, as against the popular perception that its presence in the fray would help the pink party by dividing anti-incumbency votes?
Interestingly, the strong leaders of the saffron party bit the dust while nondescript leaders emerged victorious.
Except in Goshamahal, which is in Hyderabad, the BJP won all the remaining seven seats in North Telangana, which was considered a bastion of the BRS.
The BJP’s three MPs — Soyam Bapu Rao, Dharmpuri Arvind, and Bandi Sanjay Kumar — lost in Boath, Korutla, and Karimnagar, respectively.
Its sitting MLAs — M Raghunandan Rao from Dubbak and Eatala Rajender from Huzurabad — also lost the election.
For Rajender, it was a double whammy as he also lost from Gajwel, where he contested against Telangana Chief Minister and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao.
However, the BJP logged surprise wins in Armur (P Rakesh Reddy), Sirpur (P Harish Babu), Adilabad (Payal Shankar), Nirmal (A Maheshwar Reddy), Mudhole (Rama Rao Pawar), Kamareddy (K Venkata Ramana Reddy), and Nizamabad Urban (Dhanpal Suryanarayana).
This, while it retained Goshamhal (T Raja Singh), was an indication that the party had begun sinking its roots in North Telangana, which seems to be a fertile soil for it.
तेलंगाना विधानसभा चुनाव में आप सभी विजयी प्रत्याशियों को जीत की बहुत-बहुत बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं।#ElectionResults#ModiKiGuarantee #ModiAgainIn2024 pic.twitter.com/G1dnFGH8j6
— Arvind Menon (Modi Ka Parivar) (@MenonArvindBJP) December 3, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, among others, had campaigned extensively, whipping up Hindutva passions and charming the tribals, — particularly Adivasis — with the BJP’s pro-tribal policies.
This apart, the BJP is said to have dipped into the Madiga vote bank after Modi backed the demand for the sub-categorisation of the SCs to help Madigas get their just share in reservations in education and employment.
As for the defeat of Bapu Rao, it is said that Adivasis had lost faith in him because of his attempt to join the Congress and change of heart at the last minute.
His statement, that he had used the funds meant for the constituency development (MPLADS) for his personal use, also had him further from the voters.
In Gajwel, Huzurabad, and Dubbak, the BJP’s sitting MLAs Eatala Rajender and M Raghunandan Rao appeared to have split the anti-BRS vote and helped the BRS candidates win the election.
Rajender, who was keen on defeating KCR on the latter’s home turf, concentrated his attention on Gajwel. He neglected Huzurabad in the process, and his wife Jamuna had to continue campaigning for him there. This led him to lose both, helping KCR in Gajwel and P Kaushik Reddy in Huzurabad win the election.
In a majority of the other constituencies where the BJP was in the fray, it could help neither itself nor the BRS as the Congress rose above both and won the seats, which points to the prevalence of a high degree of anti-incumbency against the BRS dispensation.
