Bandi key player in TS BJP growth
HYDERABAD: It was an eventful tenure of three years and a week short of four months for Bandi Sanjay Kumar as BJP Telangana president, during which time he made the party a fighting fit unit and projected it as a credible alternative to the BRS.
Prior to Sanjay, the BJP in Telangana was considered as being confined to Hyderabad and a few urban pockets in the state. During Sanjay's tenure, helped in no small measure by his padayatra in four phases, the party made inroads into all the districts and expanded its roots even to villages.
Sanjay was arrested and jailed several times for undertaking protests against the BRS government which established him as a strong leader who took on the ruling party. Still, it is widely believed in political circles that his arrest in the SSC question paper leak case in April was a setback though the BJP rubbished it as a 'politically motivated case.' It is believed that Sanjay's graph started coming down after the incident.
Sanjay's elevation to the top post in March 2020 was a surprise. His stunning victory from the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat in 2019, considered a "BRS bastion," where he trounced BRS candidate B. Vinod Kumar, propelled him to the post.
Known for his strong Hindutva stand, Sanjay created a record of becoming the first BJP state president who was elected outside Hyderabad in the last 20 years.
Right from Day 1, he reached out to party leaders and cadres in all the districts, hit the streets against the BRS government repeatedly and injected fresh energy into the BJP state unit.
Under his leadership, the BJP put up a stunning performance, defeating the BRS in Dubbak and bringing down the BRS tally in GHMC from 99 to 55 and emerging as the second-largest party with 48 seats.
Sanjay was credited for replacing Congress with BJP as a main opposition party to the BRS following these electoral victories. The BJP failed to retain its deposit in Nagarjunasagar but gave a tough fight to the BRS in Munugode. Since then, it became a hard grind.