HYDERABAD: After a narrow defeat in the Munugode bypoll, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is focussing on the erstwhile Nalgonda district with an eye on the next Assembly elections. The saffron party’s top leaders, especially Huzurabad legislator Eatala Rajender and former MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, are reportedly focussing all their energies on garnering people’s support in the district.
Rajender, who is also the chairman of the party’s Joinings Committee, toured Nalgonda thrice this month and participated in several programmes in Nakrekal and Nalgonda Assembly segments. Rajagopal Reddy, on the other hand, is said to be focussing on Bhongir, Aleru and Tungaturthi and trying his best to strengthen the party’s base in these areas.
If sources are to be believed these leaders are in constant touch with disgruntled Congress and BRS leaders, who feel sidelined by their respective parties, and are trying to convince them to change their loyalties to the saffron party.
It may be mentioned here that though the BJP lost the Munugode bypoll, it rattled the BRS as the contest went neck and neck till the last vote was counted. Its vote share in that election was far better than in the previous ones as it managed to convince the traditional Congress voters to support its candidate. Encouraged by that, the party is now focusing on appropriating the Congress vote bank in the erstwhile Nalgonda district.
The saffron brigade is working overtime to strengthen its base in several Assembly segments where the party does not have good leaders.Its main focus is on four Assembly constituencies, including Munugode and Suryapet where the party has good leadership.
In the last Assembly elections, its candidate got 39,240 votes. In fact, it is the party’s best performance in any Assembly segment in the entire combined district of Nalgonda.After the Munugode bypoll, several leaders are showing interest in joining the BJP and test their luck in the next Assembly elections.
In the two previous bypolls held in Nagarjunasagar and Huzurabad, the BJP also lost the security deposits. But after its performance in Munugode, the BJP is entertaining hopes of doing better this time around.
Former Bhongir MP and Munugode MLA Rajagopal Reddy has good contacts in his Parliamentary constituency. According to sources, he is now trying to lure Congress and BRS leaders ahead of next Assembly elections. The sources also stated that the party will become strong as, unlike in the past, it now has strong leaders in Rajagopal Reddy and former MP Boora Narshaiah Goud.