Maha BRS leaders look for greener pastures before Assembly polls

ADILABAD: Senior leaders from major political parties who joined the BRS expecting the party to field them in the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra are now disappointed, as the top leadership of the party has no plans to contest elections in the state.

With no options left, these leaders are now trying to resurrect their old connections to remain relevant in Maharashtra politics.

Sources say that the BRS' top leadership is not interested in contesting polls in Maharashtra and aims to remain a regional party. The BRS’ working president, K.T. Rama Rao, stated that regional parties will play a key role in Indian politics, reflecting the party’s leadership mood.

Godam Nagesh and Allola Indrakaran Reddy played key roles in organising the party’s first meeting in Nanded and inducted a few Maharashtra leaders into the BRS. Surprisingly, Godam Nagesh and Indrakaran Reddy later joined the BJP and Congress, respectively. Godam Nagesh was elected as the Adilabad MP and is now campaigning for the BJP in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.

The slogan “Abki Bharat Kisan Sarkar” reflected the mood of the BRS. A meeting was organised in Nanded on February 5, 2023. Later, former Nanded MP Haribhau Rathod joined the BRS, expecting a bright future in politics.

Leaders Raju Thodasam, former MLA of Khelapur, Deepak Atram of Aheri, along with many sarpanches, ex-sarpanchs, and ZPTC members, also joined the BRS in the presence of Chandrashekar Rao.

Raju Thodasam was elected with a BJP ticket from the Khelapur Assembly constituency, and Deepak Atram was previously elected as an independent. These constituencies share borders with Telangana.

Raju Thodasam, who contested as an independent in the last elections when the BJP denied him a ticket, joined the Nationalist Congress Party and was made the state president of the NCP’s tribal wing in Maharashtra.

Former minister Jogu Ramanna, Allola Indrakaran Reddy, and former MP Godam Nagesh toured the bordering villages and towns in Maharashtra’s Nanded, Yavatmal, and Chandrapur districts, attempting to lure senior leaders of political parties into the BRS.

Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle, BRS leader Raju Thodasam said he was trying to join the BJP and will contest in the upcoming Assembly elections since the BRS is not contesting in Maharashtra.

Former Minister Jogu Ramanna and the party’s Adilabad district president stated that the BRS leadership has no plans to contest in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra.