HYDERABAD: The upcoming Lok Sabha elections are going to pose a litmus test for the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samiti, particularly in the areas where it lost in the recent Assembly elections. The shock results paid to former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s plans to expand the party in Maharashtra and other states.
Had he achieved a hat-trick, KCR would have contested the Lok Sabha election to make his party’s voice heard in Parliament. Since the BRS lost the Assembly polls, key leaders in the party believe that KCR has given up the idea. In the changed political scenario, there is intense discussion among the party circles as to who will lead the BRS in Parliament after the elections. Though MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, who wants to contest again from the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, has proven her capabilities, her victory is not guaranteed.
The BRS, which has nine seats in the Lower House, is keen on retaining the constituencies in the coming elections, while the ruling Congress is setting its sights on winning 12 to 15 seats as against the present three. The BJP, which has four seats, now will leave no stone unturned to bag 50 per cent of the constituencies in the coming elections.
The fight between the three parties is going to be intense as the ruling Congress seeks to consolidate its gains in the Assembly elections while the BRS wants to bounce back and lift the sagging morale of its cadres in the constituencies where it suffered huge losses in the Assembly polls. For the BJP, the LS polls are equally crucial to retain power at the Centre.
BRS leaders are said to be expecting either party working president KT Rama Rao or former minister T Harish Rao to join the Lok Sabha election race and give a tough fight to the Congress as party supremo KCR has given up his earlier plan.
The party leaders are of the view that if one of the two leaders throws their hat in the Lok Sabha poll ring, the BRS cadre will work with renewed energy and ensure victory in a majority of constituencies. The party will also get a capable leader who can make the BRS voice heard at the national level. The BRS can also regain lost ground by the next Assembly election if the party MPs put up a good show in Parliament. Considering all these things, some leaders in the opposition BRS are said to be putting pressure on the party supremo to take the proposal seriously.
Undoubtedly, the coming Lok Sabha elections are going to test the resilience of the party as the Congress, fresh from Assembly poll victory, looks strong and the BJP, which has improved its performance, is preparing to strengthen its position in the state.
A former minister stated that Lok Sabha elections are a matter of life or death for the BRS in Telangana. To boost the morale of the party cadre either KTR or Harish Rao should contest the LS polls, BRS leaders feel. Since the recent Assembly polls showed that the BJP has a considerable vote share, Kavitha may find the going tough in Nizamabad where she lost to BJP’s D Aravind in the last Lok Sabha election. According to BRS leaders, KTR should fight either from Karimnagar or Medak. If he is not keen, KCR should field Harish Rao, and suggest party leaders.
As the Lok Sabha elections are not far away, BRS leaders said that KCR may take a decision very soon on fielding either KTR or Harish in one of the constituencies.