Lack of traditional vote bank in Telangana worries BJP

Though the BJP won 48 divisions during the last GHMC polls, it does not have a strong base in a majority of the assembly constituencies in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The lack of a traditional vote bank for the party in majority of assembly constituencies, especially in rural areas of Telangana, is worrying the BJP.

The fact came to the notice of the BJP leadership during a routine survey undertaken by it for preparing its cadre for the ensuing polls to the State Assembly. In fact, except assembly constituencies falling under the Greater Hyderabad limits and a few other towns in the State, the saffron party hardly has any presence. In Hyderabad too, barring Amberpet and Musheerabad, earlier represented by BJP State unit chief G Kishan Reddy and Rajya Sabha member K Laxman respectively and Goshamahal constituency represented by T Raja Singh, no other constituency in Greater Hyderabad has allowed BJP to build a traditional vote bank.

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Though the BJP won 48 divisions during the last Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls, it does not have a strong base in a majority of the assembly constituencies in the city. During the last assembly elections, BJP performed very badly and lost deposits in a majority of the constituencies. Even in the 2014 polls, the party managed to win just five seats, that too from Hyderabad.

According to party sources, the BJP central leadership pulled up State leaders for not doing much to strengthen the party at the grassroot level. The party leadership reportedly is worried as the party has lost precious time in containing internal rifts and now when it wants to take up intensive campaigning, reports are coming that the party does not even have active booth committees in over 50 percent of the Assembly constituencies.

BJP State election in-charge Prakash Javadekar, is reportedly very unhappy with the party State unit. He reportedly pulled up party senior leaders for confining to press conferences and not taking up programmes in constituencies.

Until a few months ago, the BJP leadership were under the impression that the party was gaining strength in the State and that a little effort would be enough to overthrow the BRS out of power. However, after the Munugode by-poll defeat, the real face of the BJP was exposed. The party central leadership understood that all the hype created by the party State leadership about BJP’s growth in the State was false and that it was nowhere near the ruling BRS, which has tremendous support of the people of the State.

In fact, after realising that the BJP cannot take on BRS in the ensuing polls to the assembly, several leaders, who joined BJP from rival parties, have started leaving the party. With the BJP almost out of the race and Congress struggling to keep its flock together, BRS looks in a comfortable position to capture power for the third consecutive time in the State.