is-t-gana-the-next-target-for-bjp-s-indefatigable-poll-machine

After breaching the Bengal fort, long considered impregnable, the BJP has now set its sights on its next target: Telangana, where Assembly elections are more than two years away.

 

The calculation within party circles is that India’s youngest state provides ideal ground to expand its social base and consolidate the gains made in recent years.

 

To begin with, it must be pointed out that the BJP was the first political party to publicly commit to the Telangana statehood cause, having passed a resolution as far back as 1999 supporting the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Two years later, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was founded by K Chandrashekhar Rao, then a leader in the ruling Telugu Desam Party, to fight for a separate Telangana state.

 

Though the TRS — now rebranded as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) — is considered the architect of the Telangana movement, BJP leaders point out that they were the first to back the statehood demand but failed to make political capital out of it.

 

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won eight of the 17 parliamentary seats in the state — its best performance since Telangana was formed in 2014. The saffron party also has eight MLAs in the 119-member Assembly.

 

It was Narendra Modi’s charisma that worked in the BJP’s favour during the Lok Sabha elections, particularly in north and central Telangana.

 

In the Legislative Council polls held in March last year, the saffron party won two of the three MLC seats representing graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies.

 

Cadre morale high

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent day-long visit to Hyderabad has energised the BJP cadre, particularly in the wake of the party’s strong performance in the West Bengal and Assam elections.

 

Modi’s message, centred around the slogan “Ab Ki Baar Telangana Sarkar”, resonated with party supporters. Addressing a massive public meeting in Hyderabad, the Prime Minister said the BJP’s recent victories across states — from Assam to Odisha and Bengal to Puducherry — reflected “a change in the mindset of the people who are choosing vishwaaswaad over parivaarvaad”.

 

During the visit, Modi laid the foundation stone for a series of development projects worth Rs 9,400 crore spanning railways, roads, energy infrastructure and textiles, benefiting Telangana.

 

While morale at the grassroots level remains high, the BJP in Telangana is handicapped by the lack of strong regional leadership capable of translating strategy into electoral gains.

 

Despite enjoying considerable support, particularly in urban centres such as Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad, the party has been unable to produce a leader with pan-Telangana appeal. The current state unit president, N Ramachander Rao, a Hyderabad-based senior advocate and former MLC, remains largely confined to the capital and lacks statewide influence.

 

His predecessor, G Kishan Reddy, now a Union minister, is also regarded as a soft-spoken and non-aggressive leader whose political career has largely been centred around Hyderabad. He currently represents Secunderabad in the Lok Sabha and was earlier an MLA from Amberpet.

 

Window of opportunity

 

There are two principal contenders for power in Telangana: the Congress and the BRS. With the opposition BRS facing an existential crisis following the exit of K Kavitha — the estranged daughter of founder and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao — and multiple cases over alleged irregularities during its rule, the BJP sees a political opening if it plays its cards well.

 

There is speculation in political circles about a possible alliance between the BRS and BJP ahead of the next elections. However, both camps have denied the reports for now.

Also read: Congress names V D Satheesan as next CM of Keralam

 

The ruling Congress, meanwhile, is grappling with growing public resentment over the partial implementation of poll promises. Barely halfway through its tenure, the government appears to be on a sticky wicket, with local surveys suggesting increasing public disillusionment over unfulfilled promises, alleged corruption and periodic infighting within the ruling party.

 

Although schemes such as subsidised rice and new ration cards have found public approval, there is growing anger over the non-implementation of several other poll promises. Farmers, in particular, are dissatisfied. The farm loan waiver scheme, announced with much fanfare, initially generated goodwill, but many farmers were later denied benefits because of various conditions attached to the scheme.

 

Farmers surveyed also claimed that the ‘Rythu Bharosa’ financial assistance scheme was not being implemented properly.

 

Meanwhile, Kavitha — whose new party, Telangana Rakshana Sena, recently received approval from the Election Commission — has been aggressively targeting the BRS leadership, causing significant damage to the opposition party.

 

Power struggle in KCR’s family

 

At the launch of her political outfit last month, Kavitha spared none, including her father KCR, whom she described as a “soulless” and “changed man”. She reserved her sharpest criticism for her elder brother and BRS working president K T Rama Rao, as well as her cousin and former minister T Harish Rao.

 

The crux of her allegations is that the party responsible for achieving Telangana statehood had fallen into the hands of “crooks and dishonest people” who formed the inner coterie around her father, poisoned his mind and ultimately damaged the party’s image.

 

By appointing his son as party working president in 2018, KCR had left little doubt about his succession plan. However, Kavitha has openly expressed her political ambition to play a larger role in the party.

 

The sibling rivalry deepened further after she declared that she would not accept KTR as her leader.

 

The BJP, meanwhile, aims to emerge as a formidable force through meticulous grassroots efforts.

 

Politics of vendetta

 

“Where two people are fighting over something, the third party takes it all,” says a Polish proverb. The saying aptly describes the emerging political situation in Telangana.

 

The fierce political battle between the Congress and the BRS appears to be inadvertently benefiting the BJP. The saffron party has long waited in the wings to expand its footprint in Telangana, the second southern state after Karnataka where it believes it has a realistic chance of capturing power.

 

Hardly a day passes without Congress and BRS leaders exchanging allegations of corruption against one another. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and BRS working president KTR have been engaged in a relentless war of words over corruption, nepotism, governance failures and unfulfilled poll promises.

 

Ironically, in their aggressive pursuit of power, both parties have inadvertently handed the BJP significant leverage. These developments have created a situation in which the BJP, both at the state and national levels, has become an influential factor in shaping the outcome of these high-stakes political confrontations.

 

The Chief Minister has ordered a series of probes targeting alleged financial irregularities and administrative lapses during the previous BRS regime, particularly focusing on KCR and KTR.

 

Investigations have been launched into the handling of the irrigation sector under the BRS government, especially allegations of corruption in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project. Separate probes have also been ordered into alleged irregularities in the power sector.

 

The BJP’s strategic advantage is further strengthened by the fact that these corruption investigations align with its national narrative of combating corruption. Any intervention by the BJP could be projected as an attempt to cleanse Telangana politics, contrasting itself with what it may portray as corruption-ridden administrations of both the Congress and BRS.

 

Tit-for-tat game

 

The Congress and BRS have historically been fierce rivals in Telangana, each competing for influential urban voters and key rural constituencies. However, the ongoing corruption allegations threaten to tarnish both parties’ public images, potentially weakening their appeal and creating political space for the BJP to emerge as a stronger force.

 

The Congress and BRS now find themselves trapped in a cycle of one-upmanship, each attempting to expose the other’s failures while risking damage to its own credibility. Any further escalation or political miscalculation could allow the BJP to drive a wedge between the two parties and attract disillusioned voters.

 

For now, it remains to be seen whether the BJP will use its growing influence to intensify these investigations or adopt a wait-and-watch approach as the Congress and BRS continue to weaken each other.

 

What is clear, however, is that Telangana’s political battle has entered a new phase in which the Congress and BRS can no longer resolve their disputes solely within the state’s boundaries. They now find themselves increasingly influenced by national political calculations and the BJP’s strategic positioning — a reminder of how state-level political rivalries can reshape the broader landscape of Indian politics.