Published Aug 17, 2026 | 7:58 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 17, 2026 | 7:58 PM
BJP MPs from Telangana.
Synopsis: Telangana has been left out of the national team after the party went for a major overhaul on Monday, 17 August. Political pundits believe that the party’s focus is on the upcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Analyst Prof K Nageshwar felt the BJP is trying to consolidate the northern states once again. He argued that the 2024 election, the student protests, and the Ram Mandir theft have all made the BJP focus more on UP.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s central leadership has left Telangana without a single berth in its newly announced list of national office bearers. Three senior leaders from Telangana who held prominent national roles in the earlier line-up have been dropped this time.
Former state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who was serving as the party’s national general secretary, does not feature in the new committee. Senior leader and Lok Sabha MP from Mahabubnagar, DK Aruna, who held the post of national vice-president, has also been left out.
Likewise, Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman, who headed the party’s OBC Morcha at the national level, no longer holds that charge. Laxman has also been serving as a member of the party’s parliamentary board since 2022.
With all three leaders dropped, Telangana’s footprint in the BJP’s apex national body has effectively been erased, in sharp contrast with the party’s representation in the state’s Lok Sabha seats.
The BJP won eight of the 17 parliamentary seats from Telangana in the 2024 General Election, with two MPs inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet.
G Kishan Reddy, the MP from Secunderabad constituency, serves as the Union Minister of Mines and Coal. At the same time, Bandi Sanjay, MP from Karimnagar, is a Minister of State for the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh finds two representatives in the list. MP D Purandeswari has been appointed as one of the National Vice Presidents, the same post held by DK Aruna, while Vishnuvardhan Reddy is one of the All Cell Joint Coordinators.
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Political analyst Prof K Nageshwar told South First that the BJP has prioritised northern states because of upcoming polls and growing protests. However, Telangana’s absence from the list is still striking.
“There is heavy focus on the north if you look at it, especially the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. UP is clearly their main focus. They might have added Purandeshwari for the North-South balance in representation, but it is still very low. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy’s post doesn’t really hold much importance,” said Prof Nageshwar.
Prof Nageshwar said that post the 2024 General Election, the BJP has been trying to consolidate the northern states once again. He argued that the 2024 election, the student protests, and the Ram Mandir theft have all made the BJP focus more on UP.
“South is only an aspiration for them. They know they may never win Kerala or Tamil Nadu, and are stuck in an alliance in AP. Telangana is actually their only hope. It is conspicuous that Telangana is completely absent. But Telangana’s assembly polls are not until 2028; maybe we can expect another reshuffle then,” he added.
Meanwhile, speculations of an imminent cabinet reconstitution have intensified since Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. MP DK Aruna has been hoping for a cabinet position for a while amid the BJP’s outreach for the women’s reservation bill. K Laxman, already serving on the Parliamentary Board, is another hopeful.
Political parties and activists in Telangana have been demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack Bandi Sanjay. They felt that his continuation in office could hamper the investigation into a highly publicised POCSO case registered against his son, Bandi Sai Bageerath.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
