BJP wants Raja Singh to leave Goshamahal and contest from Zaheerabad LS

Raja Singh had defeated Mukesh Goud, who contested on a Congress ticket in 2014 and with the TRS (now BRS) in 2019.

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) central leadership is learned to be exerting tremendous pressure on suspended Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh to vacate his Assembly seat and contest from the Zaheerabad Lok Sabha segment in the 2024 general elections.

According to sources, the party leadership is planning to hand over the Goshamahal assembly ticket this time to Vikram Goud, son of former minister, the late Mukesh Goud.

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Raja Singh had defeated Mukesh Goud, who contested on a Congress ticket in 2014 and with the TRS (now BRS) in 2019.

It is learnt that the BJP high command has been delaying the process of revoking Singh’s suspension to exert pressure on him to vacate the Goshamahal seat and contest from Zaheerabad.

However, sources said that Raja Singh was not agreeing to the demand of the party leadership and has reportedly decided to contest as an independent candidate in the event of not being given a party ticket.

Sources said that Raja Singh’s family members and supporters do not want him to leave his constituency as he has tremendous support from the local population. In fact, he was the only BJP candidate who managed to win in the 2018 assembly elections in the entire State.

The BJP is trying hard to increase its tally in the Southern States in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with the attempt to shift Raja Singh from Goshamahal to Zaheerabad Lok Sabha constituency being part of its effort to win more seats in Telangana, sources said.

During the 2019 elections, the BJP won four out of the 17 Lok Sabha seats, and this time it wants to double the number.

Currently, BB Patil of the BRS is representing Zaheerabad in the Lok Sabha and all the seven Assembly constituencies falling under it are also represented by the ruling party.

The BJP leadership is planning to use Raja Singh’s strong Hindutva image to polarise voters in Zaheerabad. However, their plan is not likely to work as there are about 2,66,762 Scheduled Caste voters, 1,25,888 Scheduled Tribe voters and 1,79,015 voters belonging to Muslim communities in the Zaheerabad Parliament constituency, which amounts to about 38 percent of the total voters.

Since the BJP does not have enough support in these communities, Raja Singh is not interested in contesting from Zaheerabad, as it would be highly impossible for him to register a win.