BJP gains even as its top leaders lose

Hyderabad: The BJP barely managed to become the third largest party in the newly-elected state Legislative Assembly, with just eight of its 111 candidates winning the elections, as its senior-most and high-profile leaders bit electoral dust.

Early in the day, the BJP appeared to be getting ready to make a dent in the AIMIM’s Old City strongholds in Hyderabad, but in the end, T. Raja Singh from Goshamahal was the sole winner from Hyderabad city.

Although the BJP threw into the last phases of the campaign everything it had, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, party president J.P. Nadda and a slew of Union ministers and party leaders, the desperate push did not help the party secure even a double-digit score.

The eight wins for the party were overshadowed by the loss of its MPs, Dharmapuri Arvind from Korutla, Soyam Bapu Rao from Boath, and Bandi Sanjay Kumar from Karimnagar, who all lost to their BRS rivals.

The biggest loss in the BJP ranks was for Etala Rajendar, who, earlier this year, led a near revolt in the BJP and caused enough turmoil within the party that resulted in the removal of Bandi Sanjay as the state party president. The internal workings in the three to four months of turmoil are believed to have severely dented the party’s image and subsequently, its prospects in the Assembly elections.

Rajendar failed to retain his seat and also lost in Gajwel, where he challenged BRS president and two-time Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

There was, however, a ray of hope in the emergence of Katipally Venkata Ramana Reddy as the hero of the day and a giant killer, as he defeated Chandrashekar Rao and state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy in Kamareddy.

Besides Raja Singh, who won for a third time, the other victors were Dr Palvai Harish Babu (Sirpur), Payal Shankar (Adilabad), Paidi Rakesh Reddy (Armoor), Dhanpal Suryanarayana (Nizamabad Urban), Aleti Maheshwar Reddy (Nirmal) joining him and Venkata Ramana Reddy.