As rivals scout for candidates, BRS hits campaign trail
Candidates, including incumbent Ministers, waste no time hitting campaign trail
Hyderabad: Barely a day after BRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced the list of candidates for all except four constituencies for the forthcoming Assembly elections, the party’s nominees including incumbent Ministers, wasted no time in hitting the campaign trail on Tuesday.
This is when none of the Opposition parties have finalised their candidates, with the Congress, fraught with internal bickering, is still negotiating with its own leaders to suppress internal mutiny that has been simmering for quite long. The BJP, also hit hard by factionalism, is also struggling to find candidates for all 119 constituencies.
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On the other hand, the BRS candidates, upbeat with the massive advantage Chandrashekhar Rao drew by the early announcement, received a rousing welcome from their supporters as they returned to their constituencies on Tuesday, reflecting the party’s enthusiasm to secure victory in the poll battle.
A distinctive characteristic of the BRS election strategy has been the release of the names of 115 candidates at once, presenting an audacious challenge to the opposition. The decision to unveil the candidates in one go has been coupled with an ambitious plan to visit every household not once, but at least twice, aiming to complete the campaign cycle two to three times before the Congress and BJP even finalise their candidates.
In tune with the party’s electoral strategy, many BRS candidates commenced devising strategies for their constituencies. Ministers T Harish Rao, G Jagadish Reddy, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and others along with several sitting MLAs have already returned to their respective constituencies. They are learnt to have already held meetings with their close aides, instructing them to begin arrangements for their poll campaigns.
The foresight demonstrated by the party president by announcing candidates more than three months in advance, providing ample time to address any discord among the aspirants, also has seen a swift resolution mechanism being put in place, aimed at addressing concerns within a week or 10 days, should they emerge.
As a preemptive measure, the party leadership has already instructed the candidates to engage with disheartened leaders collectively, with explicit instructions for Ministers and district presidents to intervene if necessary.
“In certain cases, key leaders including KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao among others will personally talk to those who were not included in the initial list. As the Chief Minister had already announced, those who missed the cut for the upcoming elections will be considered for roles as MLCs or MPs in subsequent phases. The leadership has shown a commitment to retaining as many members as possible within the party, with departure being the last resort,” a BRS general secretary told Telangana Today.
Sources said after the candidates for remaining four constituencies were finalised by this month end, the Chief Minister was likely to convene a meeting with party functionaries as well as the candidates and issue strategic directions, outlining the campaign’s trajectory leading up to the polling day. With a keen focus on direct voter engagement, the party leadership intends the candidates to connect with each individual voter at least four to five times over the next three to four months.
