BRS moves into election mode ahead of poll schedule

The BRS has begun preparations for the Khairatabad Assembly bypoll and two Graduate MLC elections, assessing candidates, strengthening its organisation and focusing on voter enrolment. The party is also holding district-level meetings ahead of the formal election schedules

Hyderabad: Moving into election mode without waiting for the formal schedules to be announced, the BRS has commenced preparations for the Khairatabad Assembly bypoll and the two Graduate MLC elections. While the Election Commission has commenced voter registration for the Graduate MLC elections, which will fall vacant in March next year, the bypoll schedule is expected after the conclusion of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the State next month.

The Supreme Court’s dismissal of former BRS MLA Danam Nagender’s challenge to his disqualification has cleared the way for the Khairatabad bypoll. The Telangana High Court had disqualified Nagender, with the order taking effect from April 23, 2024, after he joined the ruling Congress and contested the Lok Sabha election from the Secunderabad constituency while continuing as the BRS MLA.

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Rather than wait for the election notification, the BRS has started assessing its ground strength in Khairatabad and the prospects of potential candidates. BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao and working president KT Rama Rao have discussed the bypoll strategy, including candidate selection, organisational mobilisation and local issues.

The party is also planning division-wise assessments and coordination with local leaders, with an emphasis on strengthening the organisation and reaching voters before the formal election process begins.

The preparations have now extended to the two Graduate MLC constituencies, where the BRS is holding a series of meetings with leaders from the six districts covered by the elections. Rama Rao held separate meetings with leaders from Warangal, Nalgonda and Khammam at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday, with a focus on voter enrolment. He is scheduled to meet leaders from Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy and Hyderabad over the next two days.

Party leaders have been tasked with ensuring that every eligible graduate is enrolled as a voter and that they are fully prepared by the time the election notification is issued.

The BRS leadership also wants the party’s organisational machinery and responsibilities to be finalised well in advance, indicating that it intends to use the enrolment process itself as an early phase of its election mobilisation.

The BRS lost the previous Graduate MLC election in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda region by a narrow margin and is planning to leave no stone unturned to secure victory. While the candidates are yet to be finalised, the party leadership has asked the cadre to work collectively irrespective of the eventual candidate, as the contest would be fought on behalf of the BRS.

The party is seeking to convert its criticism of the Congress government into electoral support among graduates. Party sources said students, unemployed youth and graduates were dissatisfied with the government and that the party would come up with a structured strategy to translate that sentiment into votes.