BJP’s BC CM promise not attracting voters in Telangana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising to make a BC leader Chief Minister if BJP was voted to power in Telangana, not a single major BC organisation had come forward to extend its support to the party.

Hyderabad: Whether the Bharatiya Janata Party‘s Backward Classes card will pay off in the upcoming polls to the State assembly or prove counterproductive has become a matter of discussion among BJP State leaders and functionaries.

The BJP’s hopes are pinned on the consolidation of BC votes, as it has given tickets to 34 BC candidates for the November 30 polls. There is a large section of leaders in the State BJP who believe that the party’s decision to give a large number of seats to BCs has not gone down well with the party leaders and functionaries from other communities. They are reportedly agitated that most of the seats were given to those BC leaders who joined from rival parties.

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Citing the example of former minister C Krishna Yadav, who joined the BJP a few days before the release of party’s fourth list, a leader said party State president G Kishan Reddy was not keen on Yadav’s entry into the BJP, but he was forced to accept him and give the Amberpet constituency to him. Krishna Yadav used to represent Himayatnagar constituency, which later became part of Amberpet constituency.

Another thing that is worrying the State leadership is that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising to make a BC leader Chief Minister if BJP was voted to power in Telangana, not a single major BC organisation had come forward to extend its support to the party. Party sources said BJP leaders were not sure about BC communities supporting party candidates as a BC Chief Minister announcement was not enough to make its candidates win a significant number of seats.

Sources in the party said many BC leaders were accusing the party leadership of allotting seats where they had tough opponents or where the party did not have a strong presence.