Lok Sabha polls with AP, Telangana elections in mid-January

HYDERABAD: The BJP central leadership is said to have hinted to the Chief Ministers of two Telugu states over the possibility of holdig semi-jamili polls — combining Assembly polls of at least 13 states with Lok Sabha polls —in January 2024.

The BJP in Telangana state is currently on a damage control mission. The party, it is learnt, has realised its folly and the backlash it received in Telangana vis-a-vis the removal of the state party chief, Bandi Sanjay. This raised suspicions that the BJP entered into a secret pact with the ruling BRS for future cooperation.

Meanwhile, the BJP has been considering some drastic steps vis-a-vis its old promise of checking corruption in politics. This would have its special echo in TS. BJP leaders are of the view that such steps would also prevent the Congress from turning the alleged BJP-BRS nexus into an electoral issue and reaping its benefits for the tricolour party. The BRS may play the victim card and at the same time attempt to consolidate its position in TS.

Sources said the proposal to postpone the elections of Telangana state, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram and advance the Lok Sabha polls along with the assembly polls to AP, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, is under active consideration of the Modi government.

The fund managers of prominent political parties have also been given instructions by the respective parties to make the preparations accordingly.

Telugu Desam chief and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu discussed the possibilities of advancing the Lok Sabha and state polls with his party leaders after his recent meetings with the BJP leadership.

Sources said AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was averse to advancing the polls and asked his leaders to deny such reports in the recent past. “They dismissed the reports as a creation of Naidu and the media favourable to him. But, Jagan Mohan Reddy may have to fall in line if such a decision gets acceptance from others,” a BJP leader said.

Meanwhile, Central agencies probing sensitive cases including the Delhi liquor scam — in which Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter K. Kavitha is facing investigation — are expected to step up their investigation. The Enforcement Directorate created tremors in Telangana state’s political circles a few months ago with some strong steps. At one stage, an impression was created that Kavitha might be arrested. This had Chandrashekar Rao worried too.

“Two developments in quick succession — replacing the aggressive Bandi Sanjay with a soft Kishan Reddy and the lull in Central agencies’ investigation in the Delhi liquor scam — badly hit the state BJP’s credibility. The saffron cadre raised these two questions when party legislators from across the country visited all the 119 constituencies in Telangana recently,” a BJP leader said.