Telangana: BJP corporators prepare to jump ship

After the BJP released its third list of candidates, several party corporators from various municipal corporations across Telangana, who failed to secure tickets for themselves or their family members, are looking for better options to pursue their ambitions

Hyderabad: Ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections, the BJP is witnessing widespread dissent within the party ranks, with several corporators planning to leave the party over denial of tickets.

After the BJP released its third list of candidates on Thursday, several party corporators from various municipal corporations across the State, who failed to secure tickets for themselves or their family members, are seriously looking for better options to pursue their political ambitions.

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Sources in the party claimed that at least 10 BJP corporators from the GHMC limits alone have made up their mind to leave the party over denial of tickets. On Friday, about nine BJP corporators from Malkajgiri, Rajendranagar, Kukatpally, LB Nagar and other divisions in the city met in a city hotel to discuss their future plans. In fact, BJP Himayatnagar corporator Mahalakshmi along with her husband Raman Goud, a senior BJP leader, resigned from the party over denial of ticket on Friday. She was seeking a ticket from Khairatabad assembly constituency. The two are likely to join the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) shortly.

A couple of weeks ago, Bagh Amberpet BJP corporator Padma Venkat Reddy along with her husband B Venkat Reddy joined the BRS. Venkat Reddy, a close associate of union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, was an aspirant for a party ticket from Amberpet.

Sources revealed that more party corporators from the GHMC are likely to join the rebel group in the coming day. There were 48 BJP corporators in the GHMC and so far six of them have already left the party and if sources are to be believed, another four BJP corporators are likely to join the BRS anytime.

Recently, two corporators of the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar Kachu Ravi and Marri Bhavana quit the party, saying that they were unable to work under BJP national general secretary Bandi Sanjay.

Last year, four corporators – Banothu Sujatha Naik from Hastinapuram, Archana Prakash from Rajendranagar, Derangula Venkatesh from Jubilee Hills and Sunitha Prakash Goud from Adikmet – joined the BRS. BJP floor leader in Tandur municipality Sindhuja Goud and councillor Mohammad Asif also joined the BRS last year.

With corporators and leaders leaving the party ahead on the assembly polls, the party leadership is looking worried as it would affect the prospects of the party, which is struggling to find momentum in the State.