For quite some time now, Lok Sabha MP and former Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar has been the party’s go-to face for taking on the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR. His fiery attacks have stirred controversy, made headlines and put the BJP on a strong footing in the state, ever since he was appointed the state party president in March 2020. However, alongside his successful rise in the party, doubts were raised by other senior BJP leaders about Kumar's capacity in leading the party into elections. “There were a lot of complaints that Kumar prefers to go it alone, remains aloof from other party leaders, and does not involve others in decision-making,” a BJP leader said. Among those who were unhappy with Kumar were M Raghunandan Rao, the BJP MLA from Dubba, Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, who resigned from the BJP on October 25; and several district-level leaders. Initially, the BJP ruled out any leadership change, but by the end of June this year, the party's central leadership appeared to have suddenly softened up towards the BRS. This happened even as the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) named KCR’s daughter K Kavitha as an accused in the Delhi liquor scam case. Sources say the BJP may have toned down its aggressive approach towards the BRS in anticipation of having to seek the latter's support after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, if the need arose. The BJP has adopted a similar approach towards the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh. The softer strategy meant the fiery Bandi Sanjay Kumar had to go, and the BJP brought in Union minister G Kishan Reddy as its Telangana unit chief on July 4. While Kumar was given the central organisational responsibilities to placate him, closer to the upcoming Assembly polls, the state BJP began feeling the need for someone to electrify its rallies. The party also needs strong candidates to put up a fight, as the contest is triangular, with the BRS and the Congress being the leading contenders. “Bandi Sanjay can do much more if he is elected as an MLA. We need a strong leader in the Legislative Assembly. The party also wants to field winnable candidates in key constituencies. That is why both Sanjay and D Arvind have been asked to contest the Assembly elections. If they win, they can also ensure that new candidates can win their current seats in the Lok Sabha elections next year,” said senior leader K Laxman. Kumar had lost from the Karimnagar Assembly seat in 2018, but won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Karimnagar as people had voted differently in these polls. By giving tickets to Kumar, Arvind and Adilabad MP Soyam Bapu Rao, the BJP wants to see if the trend has changed. After the BJP won only 1 seat in the 2018 Assembly elections, the party leadership, feeling that senior BJP leaders in the state were too 'soft', brought Kumar as the new BJP chief for his aggressive Hindutva. Kumar's aggression was on display during the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections in December 2020. And the BJP sprang a surprise by winning 48 out of 150 GHMC seats. Under his leadership, the party won two crucial Assembly bypolls, in Huzurabad and Dubbaka, too. However, it lost the Munugode bypoll to the BRS last October. To protest what he calls the “BRS government’s failures”, Kumar launched a statewide Praja Sangram Yatra on August 28, 2021. Since then, Kumar has covered nearly 60 Assembly constituencies, walking 1,500 km in 120 days, spread over five phases. At a public meeting after the padayatra ended, Union Home Minister Amit Shah showered praise on Kumar, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi called to congratulate him on the success of his foot march.
