Taking into its stride the anti-incumbency factor of two terms, the leadership of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) appears to have taken a calculated risk by renominating 93 MLAs, including those who shifted loyalties to BRS from other parties, out of 102 seats the party held in the list of 115 candidates announced on Monday.
The move is also being seen as “strategy” to push rivals Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into panic mode to rush through their selection process and keep them engaged in informal electioneering with an objective to exhaust their resources much before the actual election date as the Election Commission has not even announced the schedule so far.
Of the 12 MLAs who were elected on Congress tickets in the 2018 election and shifted to BRS later, the party leadership has denied ticket only to one of them — Athram Sakku from Asifabad. He was replaced with Kova Laxmi, 2014 TRS (BRS) MLA and currently the Zilla Parishad chairperson, after she lost the 2018 election at the hands of Mr.Sakku.
Of the nine changes effected in the candidates’ list, the most significant ones are party president K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to contest from a second seat (Kamareddy) replacing sitting MLA Gampa Goverdhan, and also replacing Station Ghanpur MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister T. Rajaiah with another former Deputy CM and MLC Kadiyam Srihari. The remaining seven changes are for different reasons as stated by the party president.
Party sources said there was a plan to replace at least two dozen MLAs for non-performance, allegations of corruption, and other reasons. However, the idea was shelved to a large extent as it was thought that the move would open a Pandora’s box and benefit the rival parties, particularly BJP, as the party has no candidates in many constituencies worth any popularity.
It is understood that the party leadership has convinced MLC and former Minister Patnam Mahender Reddy from Tandur to stay away from the contest this time to renominate P. Rohith Reddy, who joined BRS from Congress, with an assurance of “key post” after the party forms the next government. Similarly, KCR’s close associate S.Madhusudana Chary was also convinced in the case of Bhupalapally to ensure smooth sailing for Gandra Venkataramana Reddy who switched over from Congress.
Constituency-level developments within BRS over the next few weeks hold key as to how the party ranks and groups having aspirations deal with the party decision and rally behind the candidates finalised.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who is currently away in the U.S., counselled patience to those who could not be accommodated in spite of being capable and very deserving stating that disappointments were to be taken in one’s stride in public life. He, however, assured that such leaders would be provided with an opportunity to serve people in other forms.
