The BJP seems to be keen on striking the iron while it is still hot. It is likely to attend to the delimitation of the Assembly constituencies in Telangana and AP along with Jammu and Kashmir as it believes that there could be no better time than now if it has to derive maximum advantage from delimitation in the two southern States as well.
By doing so, it can argue that it was honouring one of the commitments made in the AP State Reorganisation Act 2014 that the number of Assembly constituencies in Telangana would be hiked from the present 119 to 153 and in the neighbouring state of AP, from 175 to 225, though it has no answer as to why it had taken so long for doing it. Though Telangana had been carved out of AP more than five years ago, the assurance of undertaking delimitation exercise had remained unfulfilled.
It remained unmoved even after the leaders of both the States had not brought pressure on the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, during its first innings. With the BJP having no skin in the game in Telangana and absolutely no stakes in AP, it had reportedly never bothered to get around to it, notwithstanding the fact that it was bound to do it as it has the sanction of the Act.
New lease of life
Now the BJP is understood to be considering taking up delimitation of Assembly constituencies both in AP and Telangana along with J&K since the pattern in political kaleidoscope has changed after Modi had emerged like a supernova in his second term, capable of making and unmaking history. Annulling Article 370 has entirely changed the perspective one has about the BJP and its capabilities. As the BJP tries to muscle its efforts for takeover of the J&K, it wants to use the highly favourable climate in Telangana and to some extent in Andhra to its advantage by taking up delimitation as it believes, the opportune time has arrived.
In Telangana, the BJP has acquired a new lease of life in Lok Sabha elections after biting the dust in the Assembly elections last year. The Modi wave had taken over the entire nation, including Telangana, by a storm with the result that the party could pick up four Lok Sabha seats in Telangana which, not very long ago, was even beyond its wildest dreams.
The Modi miracle had transformed a party which had won one Assembly seat and 7.1 per cent of vote share in Assembly elections in December last year to claim a share of 19.4 per cent votes and four seats in Lok Sabha elections. The leaders now believe that the journey has only begun and that the momentum as they go forward would continue, making the party a serious contender for power in the next Assembly elections.
Luring the leaders
The party is already going places, luring leaders into the party as it is now handicapped with lack of leaders though at ground level in north Telangana, the saffron party’s base is slowly increasing particularly in Assembly segments that formed the Lok Sabha constituencies -- Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Secunderabad, won by the BJP.
During delimitation exercise, the party is sure to ensure that the villages where it has supporters are grouped together to reap benefits at the time of the hustings.
It has already started its Hindutva campaign and then there is Telangana Liberation Day next month which it would use to its maximum advantage to drive a deep wedge between two communities to prosper politically. With party chief Amit Shah deciding to attend a meeting on the occasion of Telangana Liberation Day and taking party membership in Hyderabad, it is expected that the party would henceforth be very aggressive.