HYDERABAD: With time running out fast, the Telangana BJP in Telangana has changed tack and has started focusing on urban and semi-urban Assembly segments in its bid to come to power in the State. BJP State president and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, along with party national vice-president DK Aruna have been engaged in discussions with prominent Congress leaders and dissatisfied members of the ruling BRS, persuading them to join the saffron party ranks.
Over the weekend, several leaders, including former Malkajgiri MLA Akula Rajender, former MLC Magam Rangareddy, and former DCCB chairpersons from Medak and Rangareddy districts officially joined the BJP. The induction ceremony, presided over by State Party in-charge Prakash Javadekar in Delhi, has come as a shot in the arm for the BJP in its pursuit of power in Telangana.
In the State, Kishan has launched “Operation Akarsh” to attract actress and former Secunderabad Assembly constituency MLA Jayasudha into the party fold. Sources said that Jayasudha has expressed interest in joining the BJP and discussed the matter with Kishan during a meeting also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The party is considering fielding her as a candidate from either the Secunderabad or Musheerabad Assembly segment.
Jayasudha, who had won from the Secunderabad constituency in 2009, joined the TDP in 2014 and later shifted allegiance to YSRC in 2016 before parting ways in 2022. Capitalising on the prospect of significant vote share in urban areas, especially Greater Hyderabad, the BJP is keen on contesting all segments with strong candidates. The party’s line-up includes Kishan Reddy from Amberpet, former MLAs Ch Ramchandra Reddy from Khairatabad, and NVSS Prabhakar from Uppal, among others. Musheerabad is a prime focus as well, with Jayasudha and other potential candidates in contention.
However, BJP faces challenges in Goshamahal, where MLA Raja Singh is currently suspended from the party, and former minister Mukesh Goud’s son, Vikram, is vying for a ticket. Decisions regarding these constituencies are yet to be finalised.
The party’s attention extends to various other regions, including Jubilee Hills, Sanathnagar, Cantonment, Kukatpally, LB Nagar, Serilingampally, Rajendranagar, Karwan, Nampally, Qutbullahpur, Malkajgiri, Medchal, and Maheswaram, where strategic candidates will be deployed.
Notably, Akula Rajender is expected to contest from the Malkajgiri segment, which is also being eyed by former MLC N Ramchander Rao.
In Rangareddy, BJP is eyeing Chevella, Vikarabad, and Tandur, among others, with hopes of tapping into semi-urban areas. Karimnagar, Huzurabad, Sircilla, Vemulawada, Jagtial, Peddapalli, and Ramagundam are seen as vital battlegrounds in the erstwhile Karimnagar district.
Further afield, Nizamabad, Urban and Rural, Armoor, Kamareddy, and Yellareddy constituencies are central to BJP’s electoral strategy. In the Adilabad district, key segments like Adilabad, Boath, Mancherial, Khanapur, Asifabad, Mudhole, and Nirmal are in focus.
Warangal’s West and East segments, along with Bhupalapally and Jangoan, hold considerable significance for the party, as do Nalgonda’s Bhongir, Munugode, Nalgonda, and Suryapet constituencies.
In the Mahbubnagar district, Gadwal, Kalwakurthi, Shadnagar, and Mahbubnagar Assembly segments are also under close scrutiny as the BJP prepares to field formidable contenders. With these calculated moves and the induction of key leaders, the BJP aims to assert its presence and make a strong bid for victory in the upcoming Assembly elections.