HYDERABAD: As the election heat intensifies, the BRS appears to be capitalising on the weaknesses of the Congress, and the grand old party seems to be only too willing to give the pink party openings.
For example, the comments of TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy against Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who quit the party on Thursday, have been seized by the ruling party to gain an advantage.
The BRS is strategically focusing on attracting dissident BC leaders who are dissatisfied with Congress and planning to contest against them. These leaders are awaiting the announcement of the Congress list and are all set to jump ship if they do not figure out among the candidates.
The BRS is also continuing to target Revanth, who is facing allegations related to ticket distribution. The pink party believes that sustained targeting of Revanth will ultimately have an impact on the grassroots cadre. The BRS’ “Operation Akarsh” seems to be a key part of their strategy.
One notable development is the welcoming of former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who is from the politically dominant Munnuru Kapu caste within the BC community. He has been promised an important position in the BRS. BRS parliamentary party leader K Keshava Rao also belongs to the same community, as well as Minister Gangula Kamalakar, MP Vaddi Raju and several MLAs.
On the other hand, the BRS faces a challenge from the Mudiraj community, as it has not accommodated a single leader in its list. To counter this, the party is looking to secure votes from BC communities like Munuru Kapu, Yadav, Gouds and others.
In contrast, Revanth’s promise to allocate 34 Assembly seats to BC communities poses a major threat to the ruling party in the upcoming elections. However, the proposed allocation seems to have fallen short of the community’s expectations. This has led to developments within Congress, and the ruling party intends to leverage this issue by initiating “Operation Akarsh” and attracting leaders like the DCC president of Malkajgiri, who belongs to the MBC community and Lakshmaiah.
Some Congress leaders who were hoping for tickets and have been making efforts in Delhi for the past 10 to 15 days are now losing hope. They are preparing to contest as independent candidates in the forthcoming elections.
The ruling party is also planning to welcome dissident leaders from the Congress, aiming to secure their vote shares in what is expected to be a closely contested election. These joinings are likely to boost the cadre and the party prospects.