The Bharatiya Janata Party’s central leadership has taken a risky gamble in the run up to the crucial Assembly polls in Telangana by replacing State unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar with Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and appointing Huzurabad MLA Eatela Rajender as the chairman of the Election Management Committee.
In a bid to diffuse the frayed tempers in the party with dissident voices finding echo repeatedly in the last few weeks, the BJP leadership brought in Mr. Kishan Reddy, a soft spoken and low profile leader and rooted deeply in the Sangh thought process and acceptable to all sections in the party. This will be second stint for Mr. Reddy, who has the solid backing of the Sangh Parivar. He was the State unit president from 2010-14 in undivided Andhra Pradesh and continued in the same position in 2014-16. He also was the BJP Legislature Party leader from 2016-18.
The unceremonious dumping of Karimnagar Member of Parliament Bandi Sanjay as the president is bound to disappoint a larger section of the party cadres, particularly the youth, which had been swayed by his aggressive posturing and taking the hardline Hindutva line.
The primary challenge Mr. Reddy faces now is to present a united face in the ‘disciplined’ party which has seen its worst crisis post the Karnataka Assembly election results. The dissenting voices brought the party to its knees as the central leadership was found wanting handling the situation. The leaders lamented the manner in which those who crossed over from other parties began to raise their voices embarrassing the leadership no end.
It will not be an easy task for the new chief to bring drastic changes and improve the fortunes of the party and give the much needed booster dose to the cadres, who are disappointed at the sorry state of affairs. Internal bickering and open challenge thrown to the leadership had caused enough damage to the reputation of the party.
What also needs to be watched closely is how Mr. Reddy will work with Mr. Eatela Rajender, the poll management committee head.
Sources pointed out that not all the old timers and a section of the ‘turncoats’ will be fully backing Mr. Rajender. Equally challenging will be the task of Mr. Rajender taking on board all sections of the leaders.
Mr. Rajender will face a stiff challenge from Mr. Bandi Sanjay and his supporters. Mr. Bandi’s aides are agitated that Mr. Rajender’s campaign against him had led to his ouster. The blame on the failure of section of the leaders to ensure the entry of suspended BRS leaders Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao into the party has been shifted to Mr. Bandi Sanjay. It is understood that the central leadership also took the line that the two leaders decided against joining the BJP because of Mr. Bandi Sanjay.
A section of the party leaders are worried that there could be fresh desertions from the party as there is simmering resentment against the style of functioning of Mr. Rajender. Names of at least half a dozen BJP leaders are doing the rounds that they might cross over to the Congress party unhappy with the latest announcements.
The need of the hour for the three leaders is to draw a clearer strategy to win the confidence of the cadres first, act firmly on dissidence activity, prepare an elaborate poll strategy, clear the air that BJP and the BRS have no hidden understanding and place itself as the real opposition to the ruling party instead of conceding ground to the resurgent Congress party in the coming Assembly elections.
