BJP still undecided on Telangana Assembly LP leader

While all the parties have appointed floor leaders, BJP is the only party in the Assembly without a floor leader

Hyderabad: With the budget session of the State assembly scheduled to begin from February 8, the issue of selection of BJP Legislative Party leader has once again come to the fore, with no consensus yet on the election of the leader.

While all the parties have appointed floor leaders, BJP is the only party in the Assembly without a floor leader. Though more than two months have passed since the election results were announced, the BJP leadership has failed to elect the Legislative Party leader. When union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the State in December, it was expected that the process of electing the BJLP leader would be completed, however, he could not do so, reportedly due to paucity of time. Even BJP State president G Kishan Reddy had announced that the BJPLP leader would be elected before the next assembly session but so far, nothing has happened in that direction.

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According to sources, the party leaders are of the view that the responsibilities should be entrusted to a leader who has an understanding of the functioning of the assembly, knowledge on various issues, the problems faced by different sections of the people in the State and who can actively respond to the developments on the floor of the assembly.

Since the BJP had promised to make a Backward Class leader Chief Minister in the event of coming to power, a large section of the BC leaders in the party are reportedly demanding the party leadership to make a BC BJPLP leader.

Among the eight BJP MLAs, two – Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh and Adilabad MLA Payal Shankar – belong to the BC community. Though Raja Singh has experience as an MLA, party leaders feel that since he does not have a grip over the Telugu language and lack of understanding of the assembly rules and important issues pertaining to the State, the party leadership was not so keen on handing over the responsibility to him. On the other hand, Payal Shankar has been in the BJP since the beginning and the party leadership was considering making him the floor leader, the sources added.

It is learnt that the BC lobby within the party was exerting pressure on the BJP leadership to make Shankar the BJPLP leader.

Party sources, however, say that his status as a first-time MLA might come in the way of the floor leader’s post. On the other hand, a key leader in the State BJP is said to be in favour of making Nirmal MLA Aleti Maheshwar Reddy the BJPLP leader. Maheshwar Reddy has already served as an MLA once and was the main speaker for the party during the discussions in the last two assembly sessions.

One has to wait and see whether this time the BJP manages to elect its Legislative Party leader before the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting or will nominate one of its members for the BAC.