HYDERABAD: It’s election season, and not surprisingly, it’s T Harish Rao who is the most visible face of the BRS, especially in Medak Lok Sabha constituency.
With his party defeated in the Assembly election and the subsequent exodus of leaders, the former minister is leading the BRS fightback. The Siddipet MLA has taken the Medak Lok Sabha campaign as a prestige issue and has been aggressively campaigning in the segment.
He wants to prove his mettle and show to his detractors that his popularity in the erstwhile district remains intact. Also, Harish Rao’s boss and BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao has told him to win the seat at all costs.
A stream of BRS leaders of all hues are seen meeting Harish Rao every day, taking directions to plug any holes in the party’s strategy.
The former minister is campaigning in all the Assembly segments that are part of the Medak Lok Sabha constituency. The BRS had won six Assembly seats from the district in the 2023 elections.
This is the biggest advantage for Harish Rao in his fight to win.
The former minister is targeting the Congress government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at every given opportunity, accusing them of failing to fulfil their promises made to the people. The BRS leader is participating in six to seven meetings every day, as well as attending the meetings convened by the party president on the elections.
While the official BRS candidate is MLC P Venkatram Reddy, it’s Harish Rao who is most visible. It’s as if he is the candidate himself, said a local voter.
The Congress has fielded Neelam Madhu Mudiraj, a BC leader while the BJP has fielded former Dubbak MLA M Raghunandan Rao from the constituency.
Considering that Medak is the home district of BRS supremo KCR, it’s understandable that the party wants to win the seat at any cost, especially since it is facing an existential crisis.