HYDERABAD: With the monsoon session of this term concluding, a number of BRS MLAs are now wondering whether they will be able to return to the Assembly considering the anti-incumbency sentiment that looms large over their political career.
Recent survey reports, and rumours doing rounds of the ruling party that BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao may opt for a major overhaul during ticket distribution, have left the BRS MLAs tense.
The BRS chief’s rumoured decision -- ostensibly to bolster the party’s standing in national politics-- to base candidate selection on survey outcomes has created a stir within the party. To add to their worries, the BRS MLAs also face opposition from within party ranks and fierce competition from aspirants.
The Kalwakurthi Assembly segment, in particular, witnesses internal dissension, with MLC Kasireddy Narayan Reddy and others opposing the candidature of sitting MLA Jaipal Yadav. They have threatened to field an independent candidate if their demand for a replacement goes unheeded.
Similarly, in Ramagundam Assembly, a ZPTC and several prominent leaders voiced dissatisfaction with the current MLA, urging the party to change the candidate to secure victory in the upcoming elections. Choppadandi Assembly also witnesses anti-incumbency sentiments against its sitting MLA, with ZPTCs, MPTCs, and other leaders demanding a replacement candidate despite efforts by planning board vice chairman B Vinod Kumar and Minister Gangula Kamalakar to resolve the matter.
The discontent extends to Wardhanpet Assembly, where second-level leaders and prominent figures within the BRS express opposition to sitting MLA Aruri Ramesh’s candidature. In Jangaon, party senior leaders and elected local body representatives are against sitting MLA M Yadagiri Reddy’s candidature, who also faces opposition from his daughter Tulja Bhavani. She openly declared her intent to contest against her father if the party nominates him.
The situation is similar in Nagarjunasagar and Kodad Assembly segments, with senior leaders and prominent figures advocating for the replacement of candidates they believe have yet to perform satisfactorily. Vemulawada MLA Ch Ramesh Babu faces a serious threat from party leaders supporting Ch Laxminarsimha Rao, who joined the party recently. In Jagtial Assembly, simmering discontent among leaders against the sitting MLA has escalated to the point that a former municipal chairperson had quit the party, alleging misconduct by the MLA. Now, mandal-level leaders are gearing up to challenge the incumbent’s candidature in the upcoming elections.
Adding to the tension, Nagarkurnool MP P Ramulu hinted at his interest in contesting from Acchampet, unsettling the sitting MLA Guvvala Balaraju. Meanwhile, the BRS is awaiting survey reports on these constituencies. Party insiders reveal that KCR plans to replace 18 to 20 sitting MLAs to secure a third term in power and thwart opposition parties from gaining ground. It is believed that the BRS supremo will field leaders from the Congress who will switch sides before the elections in about eight to 10 segments.