HYDERABAD: As the BJP steps up efforts to woo BRS legislators in a bid to strengthen its ranks, the beleaguered pink party is scrambling to retain them.
That the saffron party has intensified its attempts to poach BRS MLAs is evident from the flurry of calls being made by the BRS top brass to its former legislators, particularly in the erstwhile districts of Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Khammam, Warangal and Karimnagar.
Senior BRS leaders are reaching out to their former MLAs, enquiring about their wellbeing and the problems in their constituencies. One former legislator from Mahbubnagar, somewhat amused, remarked: “I never received such calls in the past. Suddenly, the party seems concerned about me. Maybe it is because the BJP might try to reach out, as it did with former MLA Guvvala Balaraju, who recently switched sides.”
The BJP, for its part, has gone into overdrive to net big names from the BRS. Party strategists believe that broadening its leadership base and strengthening grassroots presence is crucial ahead of the upcoming local body elections and other electoral challenges. The party is trying to capitalise on the BRS’ dismal performance in the 2023 Assembly polls, which ousted it from power, followed by a complete wipeout in the Lok Sabha elections held six months later.
Pick-and-choose exercise
A senior BJP leader claimed that several former MLAs and ex-MPs are already in touch and waiting for the “right moment” to cross over. This, insiders say, is causing anxious moments within the BRS. According to BJP sources, the party is set to intensify its “Operation Akarsh” strategy as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections and other urban local body polls draw closer. However, leaders clarified that the BJP will adopt a selective approach: only those with proven grassroots strength in their constituencies will be welcomed into the party. It will be a pick-and-choose exercise, they said.
Meanwhile, the BRS finds itself weighed down by multiple challenges — internal factionalism, inquiry commission indictments, defections and pending legal cases. In this fragile situation, it can ill afford a further exodus of its leaders. The party is making last-ditch efforts to insulate its cadre from BJP’s poaching game, but how far it will succeed remains uncertain.