HYDERABAD: As days go by, the strategy of Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao for the upcoming local elections in Maharashtra is becoming increasingly clear. The party intends to field candidates in six districts sharing a border with Telangana, where the BRS has a good track record in local elections, having won a significant number of MPTC and ZPTC seats in 2001.
KCR wants to take his party to the national level and has selected Maharashtra as a key target since it has 40 Assembly segments that share a border with Telangana. The BRS supremo wants to build a strong force with the local body election and thus signalling his party’s intent to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Political experts say that KCR’s strategy is the right way to build the party from the grassroots, and the party symbol and name will register strongly if it contests the local body elections. Party leaders have also stated that the votes they get in local body elections will boost their chances when they contest the Assembly elections.
The BRS supremo has already studied the last Assembly elections in detail going through the list of winners, runners-up as well as the votes bagged by Independent candidates. The six former MLAs and several former Zp Chairmans who have joined the party are a clear indication that KCR has picked strong leaders community-wise and face value-wise. These leaders are expected to play a major role in the coming local body elections in 40 Assembly constituencies.
On the other hand, village and mandal level leaders who are well connected and in contact with BRS leaders from Medak, Nizamabad, and Adilabad districts are getting ready to join the pink party and contest the coming local body elections. A senior BRS leader said that in the Nanded district, the party is getting stronger and will definitely win several Assembly seats.
The BRS has implemented various welfare schemes in Telangana such as Rythu Bandhu, free power, Rythu Bima, etc., which have been well-received by the farming community. This positive reputation could help the party in the border districts of Maharashtra where many of the people are also from the farming community.
Thousands of farmers in the border-sharing villages bought lands in Telangana villages and are getting Rythu Bandhu and free power, which is an advantage for the BRS to expand in Maharashtra where farmers also play a key role in deciding the fate of political parties.
The party chief has already addressed three public meetings in Nanded, Kandar Loha, and Aurangabad, and the sources say that the BRS would conduct another three meetings in three districts in the coming months. BRS MLA and MPs are contacting several leaders from districts to welcome them into the pink party fold at upcoming public meetings.