BJP Awaits CM Face to Match KCR in TS Polls

HYDERABAD: The Telangana state BJP’s move to step on the gas to speed up its campaign for the Assembly elections is reportedly being hobbled by an internal debate among senior party leaders — whether the BJP has a single face that people can relate to in the next three months, a party leader who can be seen as an effective foil for taking on the considerable political heft carried by BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao?

Even as the BJP is planning a multiple leadership, as evidenced by its plans for yatras in September, the debate continues to undermine their collective efforts, sources said.

In this mix right to lead three different yatras now are BJP state president G. Kishan Reddy, Huzurabad MLA Etala Rajendar and party national vice-president D.K. Aruna who are expected to lead three bus yatras, tentatively from September 17.

Leaders, however, remain hopeful of getting a clearer picture by August 27, when Union home minister Amit Shah is expected to hold a public meeting in Khammam, after being cancelled twice. There is hope that his presence at the public meeting and a private one with state party leaders will clear the air on the party’s CM face.

“Who are we supposed to follow? More importantly, who are the people supposed to look up to if they are looking for an alternative to Chandrashekar Rao? Kishan Reddy? Etala Rajendar? Or Aruna? Or is there someone else the party has in mind? Who is the one person the BJP is pitting against Chandrashekar Rao?” a senior BJP leader asked.

Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi is always talked about as the leader they will follow and implement his vision in Telangana state, “the more we talk about Modi, the more it is beginning to appear that we are already in the Lok Sabha election mode and not fighting to win in the Assembly elections”,  another state BJP leader said.

A state BJP office-bearer said: “No one appears to be clear on this. And no one is willing to discuss this and figure a way out. The standard response is the national leadership will take a call. But people don’t really care about what BJP national leadership has to say on this. All they know is, at least for now, we don’t have a single individual seen as strong enough to take on Chandrashekar Rao and his BRS, against whom our entire battle is supposed to be.”

At the core of the problem for the BJP, according to some party leaders, is the question of being seen as a united party under collective leadership, but with a strong leader who can inspire the party cadre, and the people.

Collective leadership became an issue in the months leading up to the ouster of Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar as the state BJP president, following increasing rumblings about his solo leadership style.