Did BJP Miss a Golden Opportunity in Telangana?
Does the BJP in Telangana really want to come to power? Or does the party have some other plans? This is now the doubt arising even among some leaders within the party. Just before the recent elections, the BJP high command’s decision to remove the then state president Bandi Sanjay shocked many at the time. Most people estimated that if Bandi Sanjay had continued, even if the BJP didn’t come to power, at least a hung situation would have arisen. Removing Bandi Sanjay, coupled with the intense anti-incumbency against BRS, ended up benefitting the Congress party significantly. For some time now, there has been widespread speculation that the Telangana BJP president post would be given to Malkajgiri MP Etela Rajender. Many believed this would bring new energy to the party. The campaign went on in a manner suggesting that only the formal announcement of Etela's name was pending.
But the BJP leadership finalized the name of former MLC Ramchander Rao for the Telangana state president post. Ramchander Rao is a senior BJP leader and also non-controversial. There is no doubt about that. However, the question now before the party leaders is to what extent Ramchander Rao can energize the cadre and influence the party’s rise to power in a state like Telangana. Although Etela Rajender's name was prominently circulated from the beginning and remained till the end, he did not get the chance. Having been with BRS for a long time, Etela Rajender has a good understanding of Telangana politics. Many leaders believe that if Etela had been given the opportunity, he would have attempted to inject enthusiasm into the BJP. However, BJP leaders are saying that senior leaders within the state party played a role in ensuring that Etela did not get the state president post. The latest developments clearly indicate that their efforts succeeded.
Though there are no complaints against Ramchander Rao, whom the leadership selected as the new president, the timing of the decision—when BRS is in an extremely complex political situation—is surprising even the leaders of that party. The ruling Congress is in complete confusion, while the opposition BRS is also facing several political challenges. At this juncture, instead of trying to steer Telangana politics in its direction, BJP’s selection of a new president sends no clear signal, say party leaders. In fact, they say they never imagined that the BJP high command would mess up such a politically favorable environment this badly.
