BJP, Telugu Desam now a faint memory in Warangal

Warangal: The Telugu Desam (TD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are in a state of abject misery in erstwhile Warangal. The TD established itself as an alternative to the Congress after the late N.T. Rama Rao established the party in 1982.

The BJP represented Warangal just once in the Parliament. However it has had several representations in the Assembly over the years. Of late, the presence of these two parties in Warangal has been declining steadily. After the formation of the Telangana state, the BJP and TD failed to make any impact whatsoever.

Even when the TRS wave prevailed in the 2014 elections, the TD managed to bag Palakurthy and Parkal seats. However, the two MLAs shifted to the TRS eventually. The Assembly elections in 2018 saw the TRS sweep the polls with the TD failing to win even with the help of the Mahakutami parties. The BJP was reduced to a lower position wherever it contested. Most of the senior leaders joined the TRS leaving these two parties weaker than ever before, with no experienced hands to steady the rocking ship.

In the ensuing LS polls, the BJP has been unable to find any stalwart from Warangal and is fielding an outsider. The TD on the other hand has yet to announce the names of its candidates.

The BJP has had just one historic win to its name, when its candidate Chandupatla Janga Reddy defeated P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1984 for the now delimited Hanamkonda LS seat. This was the first and last representation of the BJP in Parliament from Warangal. The TD had a better run, winning Parliament seats in 1984, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2008. The two parties have not only been hit by the migration of its top leaders, but also by internal bickering. The BJP needs to get its leaders together if it seeks to have any chance of winning. a Parliament seat.