Lack of support among SCs, STs worrying BJP

The party won four MP seats in the 2019 general elections, and their vote percentage also increased to 19.8 percent.

Hyderabad: The BJP, which managed to win over dalits and tribal communities in the Hindi heartland and came to power in a majority of States there with their support in the Assembly elections held last year, is struggling to get the support of these communities in Telangana.

The party won four MP seats in the 2019 general elections, and their vote percentage also increased to 19.8 percent. This time the BJP is making efforts to win over 10 seats in the State, but its nominal presence among dalits and tribals in the State is worrying the party leadership.

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Even in the assembly elections held in November last year, the BJP managed to win just eight seats out of 119, far less than the expected seats reportedly due to lack of support from SC and ST communities. Of the eight seats which it won, not a single seat was a reserved one.

“Just because the party succeeded in getting the support of dalits in the Hindi heartland, it does not mean that it can do so in Telangana too,” a BJP leader said.

The party leadership is aware that until they get the support of these communities they cannot win over ten seats in the State, hence it has asked the State leaders to organise special outreach programmes to reach out to these communities. The BJP is banking on various outreach programmes to draw Dalit and tribal votes and help the party gain a foothold in the State, while at the same time weakening the ruling Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi(BRS), who are having a strong Dalit and tribal vote bank in Telangana.

The BJP leadership has asked its Telangana unit leaders to hold special caste outreach programmes across the State to highlight various programmes and schemes being implemented by the BJP-led government at the Centre for their welfare. The party has also asked them to organise meetings with dalit and tribal community groups and organisations in all the assembly constituencies to seek their support in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

The party has also asked its leaders and functionaries to hold door-to-door campaigns in all the booths in the State from April 11 to 13 with special focus on SCs, STs and women. The party is heavily banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and central schemes and programmes to woo the voters.