Telangana BJP likely to bring back Bandi as unit chief next month

HYDERABAD: Union minister of state Bandi Sanjay Kumar is most likely to be re-appointed BJP state unit chief. His huge popularity among the masses, connect with the cadre, and his ability to steer the party workers and sympathisers to the core ideology of BJP, seen in his earlier stint during Praja Sangrama Yatra and the GHMC elections were huge plus marks as the party narrowed down on a leader for the 2029 Assembly elections.

Almost 18 months after he was dropped as state president, the party’s central leadership is likely to announce his appointment next month. In fact, the party’s 119 elected representatives from six states and a union territory, who fanned out across Telangana for a 14-day `pravas’ in each Assembly constituency to gauge the expectations of the electorate and party workers in August last year, gave a thumbs up to his connect with the masses.

Sanjay was subsequently appointed as a national executive member and later as party national general secretary.

The 150-day-long 1,600-km yatra, which was carried out in five phases, between August 28, 2021 and December 15, 2022, has made him one of the powerful leaders in the BJP.

A professor of the agriculture university, who sought anonymity, said that the BJP graph had improved in the state after he was appointed as the state president. As a grass-root worker, he has the ability to mobilize forces by connecting himself with burning issues. He pointed out how he took part in a dharna at Ashoknagar, though he was a Union minister and had led a rally till Secretariat in support of the unemployed youth.

Apart from hailing from the BC community, Sanjay hails from north Telangana. The party is projecting a BC communities candidate as the Chief Minister of the state.

Sanjay also fits into the stand of RSS, which is insisting on appointing persons who swear by the core ideology to head state units.