All three parties — the ruling Congress, wounded BRS, and floundering BJP — must fight their internal battles first before they can hope to win the external war at the grassroots.
Published Jul 23, 2025 | 11:50 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 23, 2025 | 11:50 AM
KCR, Revanth Reddy, and Ramachander Rao. (X)
Synopsis: As Telangana gears up for local body polls by September-end, all major parties — Congress, BRS, and BJP — face internal strife. Congress grapples with dissent despite its 2023 win, BRS struggles with Kavitha’s parallel politics, and BJP is hit by public feuds between key leaders. These internal conflicts weaken their preparedness for the high-stakes grassroots elections.
In the face of the fast approaching local body elections, neither the ruling Congress nor the two opposition parties in Telangana — BRS and BJP — are in the pink of health. Internal squabbles are surfacing in various forms, making them ill-equipped to the high stakes polls.
The three parties have to gear up for the first major electoral battle since the 2023 Assembly and 2024 Parliament elections. Facing the upcoming elections for ZPTCs, MPTCs, and panchayats in the next few months, followed later by municipal polls, is a major challenge in the near term.
For the Congress, it has to win the maximum number of local bodies. It is essential for the party to cement its hold on the state and prove that the 2023 victory was not a flash in the pan. For the BRS and BJP, the fight is existential. They must prove they are rising to remain relevant contenders for power in the 2028 Assembly elections.
From the moment it came to power in December 2023, the Congress has been mired in squabbles. While internal differences are nothing new to the party — known for its “too much democracy” — the dissent is now more visible than ever before. The party is like a behemoth with too many limbs moving in different directions all the time.
Revanth Reddy, now Chief Minister, has long faced opposition from within. Even before he was appointed Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president in July 2021, many senior leaders viewed him as an outsider from TDP, uncomfortable with his rapid rise. He operated from his residence rather than Gandhi Bhavan for months, reflecting the friction.
Despite leading the party to a surprise victory in December 2023, thanks to a mix of aggressive campaigning and anti-incumbency against the BRS, Revanth Reddy continues to navigate a minefield. He has tried to maintain balance by giving due prominence to senior leaders like Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. But the facade of unity often cracks.
Not very long ago, a secret meeting of disgruntled Congress MLAs in Revanth’s native Mahabubnagar district surfaced, reportedly convened to discuss dissatisfaction with the functioning of a particular minister. Later, it was said that the MLAs had met to decide what to do with one of the ministers demanding a cut for clearing contractors’ bills. Tensions escalated when some of them approached the high court against their own government over HYDRA’s inaction in demolishing an illegal building in Khajaguda in Hyderabad.
The sharpest criticism has come from Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, who was reportedly promised a Cabinet berth if he helped the party win Bhongir in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. After delivering the win, he was not taken into the cabinet as promised.
The party reportedly held back his induction to avoid making the Cabinet “too Reddy-heavy” and to prevent a situation where two brothers (Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Rajagopal Reddy) from the same district are in the cabinet, which could trigger further demands — for instance, from Uttam Kumar Reddy to induct his wife Padmavathi.
A few days ago, Rajagopal Reddy reacted sharply to Revanth Reddy’s remark that he would remain Chief Minister for ten years. In a post on X, he reminded that in the Congress, the high command decides the Chief Minister, not individuals. He warned that workers would not tolerate such unilateral claims. There are reports that he is unhappy as he suspects his phone is being tapped.
రాబోయే పదేళ్లు నేనే ముఖ్యమంత్రి అని రేవంత్ రెడ్డి గారు ప్రకటించుకోవడం కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ విధానాలకు వ్యతిరేకం.
జాతీయ పార్టీ అయిన కాంగ్రెస్ లో అధిష్ఠానం ఆదేశాల మేరకు, ప్రజాస్వామ్యబద్ధంగా ముఖ్యమంత్రి ఎన్నిక ఉంటుంది. తెలంగాణ కాంగ్రెస్ ను వ్యక్తిగత సామ్రాజ్యంగా మార్చుకునే ప్రయత్నాలను… pic.twitter.com/nGtGpQzgGk— Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy (@rajgopalreddy_K) July 19, 2025
Other local conflicts are also playing out. In Warangal, Congress MLAs have differed openly with Minister Konda Surekha and her husband Konda Murali. The feud turned ugly last month, prompting intervention from the state leadership. Though the fire has been temporarily doused, the embers still smoulder, pointing to lingering tensions.
In constituencies where BRS MLAs switched to Congress after the Assembly elections, native Congress leaders are unhappy working alongside their former rivals. In Jagtial, for instance, a cold war continues between turncoat MLA Dr Sanjay and senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy.
Similar tensions exist in the other nine segments where the sitting BRS MLAs switched loyalty for Congress. Interestingly, even the turncoat MLAs are unhappy — as Revanth Reddy is unable to fully meet their demands without high command clearance or offending native leaders.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which once looked poised to bounce back by branding the Congress win as an “accidental one-off victory,” is struggling to regain momentum.
The biggest thorn in its flesh is K Kavitha, daughter of party chief K Chandrashekar Rao. She has been charting her own political course, acting independent of the party while staying in it. Her main grievance is with her brother KT Rama Rao, whom she accuses of trying to sideline her to pave a thorn-free path to leadership.
Kavitha, refusing to be relegated, has revitalized her NGO Telangana Jagruthi, using it as her own political vehicle. She has been conducting state-wide cultural and political programmes under this banner, without any help from the BRS leadership.
There are reports that BRS cadre were unofficially instructed not to extend political support to her programmes. Kavitha herself admitted that BRS leaders were surprised to see her at Telangana Bhavan, asking her, though politely, her purpose for being there.
This apart, the party has to groom new leadership in the constituencies where its MLAs have joined the Congress camp, which is easier said than done.
The BJP, which once hoped to capture power in Telangana, is now mired in factionalism and open brawls.
The ugliest episode came recently, when a verbal street fight broke out between Etela Rajender and Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, two dominant backward class leaders from the Karimnagar district. The flaming row that shocked the political circles is now before the central leadership of the party. It will be interesting to see how it solves it, since both the leaders belong to backward classes and have huge followings.
All hell broke loose when Malkajgiri MP Etala Rajender, speaking to his supporters at his Shameerpet residence in Hyderabad, questioned Bandi Sanjay’s relevance in Karimnagar. He accused Sanjay, though obliquely, of undermining him and warned that he would ensure the election of his supporters in all the local bodies in Karimnagar district if he uses his influence and prevents the party from allotting tickets to those who are not Etala’s supporters.
Etala’s reaction came in response to Bandi Sanjay’s tirade against Etala while visiting Huzurabad constituency a couple of days prior, saying that one should not have factions and that everyone should work for the party and its flag, not for individuals.
This public clash between two heavyweight leaders has rattled the BJP central leadership. The newly appointed state BJP president N. Ramchander Rao is now tasked with restoring discipline and unity. Party in-charge Sunil Bansal is expected to mediate between the camps to prevent further erosion of the party’s image ahead of the local polls.
With ZPTC, MPTC, and panchayat elections expected to be held before the end of September, as mandated by the Telangana High Court, and municipal elections at a later date, the political landscape in Telangana is as chaotic as it is competitive.
All three parties — the ruling Congress, wounded BRS, and floundering BJP — must fight their internal battles first before they can hope to win the external war at the grassroots.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
