BJP Aims for Greater Influence in Telangana Legislative Council

Hyderabad, Jan 12 (NationPress) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is striving for an enhanced presence in the Telangana Legislative Council, having declared its candidates for three constituencies prior to the Election Commission's poll schedule announcement.

This move by the saffron party has caught both the ruling Congress and the primary opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) off guard, as it named candidates for the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Graduates' constituency, Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Teachers' constituency, and Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Teachers' constituency.

The Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Graduates' constituency is currently held by the Congress, while the teachers' constituencies are represented by independent candidates.

The BJP has nominated industrialist C. Anji Reddy for the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Graduates' constituency, which is presently held by senior Congress leader and former Minister T. Jeevan Reddy.

For the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Teachers' constituency, the party has chosen educationist Malka Komaraiah.

Puli Sarottham Reddy will run on a BJP ticket from the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Teachers' constituency. Sarottham Reddy, a Warangal native, has over 30 years of experience as a school teacher. He served as the general secretary of the Panchayat Raj Teachers' Union (PRTU) from 2012 to 2019 and was active during the statehood movement as part of the Teachers' Joint Action Committee.

With three MLC seats set to become vacant in March, the BJP's early announcement of candidates aims to not only surprise both Congress and BRS but also to provide adequate time for campaigning.

This marks a distinct shift in strategy for the BJP, which was the last to reveal its candidates for the November 2023 Assembly elections and May 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The party's confidence is bolstered by its strong performance in both elections.

The BJP perceives a promising opportunity to capture the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Graduates' constituency from Congress.

The party had previously secured victories in Medak, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Adilabad Lok Sabha constituencies, which includes the graduates' constituency.

Out of the eight Assembly seats held by the BJP, seven are located in these four districts.

Internal conflict within the Congress party has surfaced in this constituency, as sitting MLC Jeevan Reddy recently expressed discontent over the party's admission of Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar, who was elected on the BRS ticket.

The ruling party controls more than 20 Assembly seats in the graduates' constituency, while the BRS is under significant pressure after its poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls.

Following the loss of power in 2023, the BRS faced multiple setbacks, with at least 10 MLAs and several top leaders switching allegiance to Congress.

The BJP is optimistic after doubling its Lok Sabha representation from the state to eight, marking its best-ever outcome.

Having won four seats in 2019 with a vote share of 19.5 percent, the party's vote share increased to 35.08 percent. This was a substantial gain for the BJP, which had garnered 13.90 percent of the votes in the November 2023 Assembly elections and won eight seats in the 119-member Assembly.

The upcoming MLC elections are critical for all three major political factions in light of the forthcoming rural and urban local body elections.

With numerous contenders for the three seats, both Congress and BRS have yet to finalize their candidates.

The BJP hopes to replicate the success of the MLC election held in March 2023, when AVN Reddy, a candidate from the BJP-affiliated teachers’ union, won the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad Teachers' constituency.

He currently serves as the sole BJP MLC in the 40-member Legislative Council.

The BRS is equally determined to repeat its success in the by-election for one MLC seat held in March 2024, having dealt a blow to the ruling Congress by winning the by-election from the Mahabubnagar local bodies constituency.

Naveen Kumar Reddy of BRS triumphed with a majority of 109 votes over the Congress party's nearest contender, Manney Jeevan Reddy.

This victory was particularly significant for the Congress in Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's home district of Mahabubnagar.

Revanth Reddy himself participated in the by-election as an ex-officio member in his role as MLA from the Kodangal constituency.

Following this win, BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao asserted that it signifies a pivotal moment in the evolving political landscape of Telangana.

Nonetheless, Congress managed to secure the by-election for the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduates' Constituency in June 2024, with Chintapandu Naveen, also known as Teenmaar Mallanna, defeating his closest rival Rakesh Reddy of BRS.

As Congress confronts stiff competition from both the BJP and BRS in three constituencies, the ruling party aims to achieve a clean sweep in the elections for five MLC seats under the MLAs quota in the coming months.

With 64 seats in the 119-member Assembly, the Congress has bolstered its tally to 75 due to the defection of 10 BRS MLAs to its ranks.

The ruling party also reclaimed the Secunderabad Assembly seat in a by-election last year.

Meanwhile, the BRS, which previously had 29 members (including four nominated members) in the 40-member Legislative Council, has lost eight MLCs to Congress over the past year.