Four months after losing power to the Congress, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana is facing discontent within its ranks. Over the last week, two sitting BRS MPs joined the BJP allegedly because of uncertainty over getting a ticket again. They have now been accommodated in the BJP's first list of 195 candidates announced Saturday. While Nagarkurnool MP Pothuganti Ramulu joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and the BJP's Telangana in-charge Tarun Chugh on Thursday, along with his son Bharat Prasad, Zahirabad MP B B Patil joined the BJP Friday. Patil has been fielded by the BJP from Zaheerabad, while Prasad has got the Nagarkurnool ticket. Former BRS MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy's name also figures among its nine candidates from Telangana in the BJP's first list of nominees for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. In all, the BRS has lost three of its nine sitting Lok Sabha MPs so far, with MP Venkatesh Netha Borlakunta, who represents the Peddapalli constituency, joining the Congress on February 6. The latest exits from the BRS came days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Adilabad and Sangareddy in the state on March 4 and 5 and have fuelled speculations on whether there may be more defections to the BJP. BJP chief spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao said some leaders in the BRS “lacked confidence on contesting on the party’s ticket for the coming polls” and might be looking at shifting to the BJP soon. A senior BJP leader said that more BRS MPs are “expected to reach out” to the BJP after the PM’s visit. Speaking to The Indian Express, Ramulu said his decision was guided by the voters’ sentiments ahead of the parliamentary elections. “In the Lok Sabha elections, people would want to vote for Narendra Modi. The support is especially high after the consecration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. The BJP has also promised reservations for Madigas (an SC community) based on their numerical strength. All of these factors will help the party in Telangana,’’ Ramulu said. Ramulu, a first time MP and three-time MLA, added he was “unsure” that the BRS would field him again. Sources within the BRS say that the party is keen on nominating Achampet MLA G Balaraju from Nagarkurnool. The exit of Patil, meanwhile, has also jolted the BRS. A two-time MP from Zaheerabad, Patil was however not being considered for his seat by the party, sources say. The BJP seems to be taking heart from the results of the 2019 polls and the gains it has made in the state since. The BRS swept the 2018 Assembly elections winning 88 of the 119 seats, while the BJP only won one seat. However, in the Lok Sabha polls held just months later, the party won four of the 17 seats in the state: Secunderabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, and Adilabad (ST). The Congress had won three seats at the time —Malkajgiri, Nalgonda, and Bhongir — while the AIMIM won the Hyderabad seat. In the Assembly polls held last December, the BJP won eight Assembly seats and obtained a vote share of 13.90%. In the 119-member House, the Congress won 64 seats as against the BRS's 39. In the upcoming Lok Sabha polls though, a senior BJP leader said, people “will vote differently”, adding that the party was hoping to win several seats in the state. ` Meanwhile, the BRS’ worries continue. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has said he would “decimate the BRS in the Lok Sabha elections”.
