HYDERABAD: The delay in appointing a new president for the Telangana BJP unit seems never-ending.
As the selection of a new national president is also due, the process of finding a fresh face for the state unit appears to have been put on hold. For now, the party high command wants to continue with Union Coal & Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy as the state chief for a few more months, until a new national president is announced.
For aspirants, this prolonged wait is testing their patience. Since politics is a dynamic game, those in contention are growing anxious about how the leadership selection will unfold, especially if it happens only after the national president’s appointment.
Meanwhile, party sources suggest another reason for the delay: a potential expansion of the Union Cabinet.
A BJP MP and senior leader revealed that the party is carefully weighing its options, particularly in the wake of the Congress government’s recent moves to woo Backward Classes (BCs). The BJP is assessing the impact of the Congress nominating BC leader B Mahesh Kumar Goud as president of the TPCC and passing a Bill to provide 42 per cent reservation for BCs in panchayats, education and jobs. The party is also evaluating the implications of the state government’s Bill, which was passed in the Assembly, sub-categorising Scheduled Castes (SCs).
As the Congress’s measures could influence BCs and the Mala community among SCs, the BJP leadership is strategising to ensure social justice to wean away these sections to its side. The party is keen to ensure caste balance if it decides to take two MPs as ministers of state.
Another senior leader indicated that the high command is likely to focus on appointing the state president after the Parliament’s Budget session concludes as BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Minister Amit Shah are currently preoccupied with parliamentary proceedings.