Mission South: BJP to hold 'Palle Gosa - BJP Bharosa' programme in Telangana from July 21 to oust KCR government in 2023 Assembly polls

BJP's Mission South: The BJP appears to be aggressively reaching out to the southern states of the country, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala. Currently, it is a major player in Karnataka, emerging as a serious player in Telangana, a marginal player in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and almost non-existent in Kerala.

Image courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has prepared a road map for the upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana, scheduled to take place in 2023. In order to strengthen the party in the state and to overthrow the KCR government, the party is holding many programs. From July 21, it will undertake a motorcycle journey in 15 different places under the name of `Palle Gosa - BJP Bharosa`, said an ANI report. The party workers will highlight the failures of the KCR government and make the people aware of the BJP government. 

BJP Telangana in-charge Tarun Chugh told ANI, "BJP is fully prepared for the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections and for that booth strengthening program is going on. In the coming days, 30 Union Ministers will also come to Telangana," adding "The people of Telangana have made up their mind to overthrow the KCR government and this is the reason why lakhs of people of Telangana participated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s Sankalp Yatra."

According to him, BJP`s recently concluded national executive meeting in Hyderabad also had a positive effect on Telangana, emphasizing it boosted the confidence levels among the party`s leaders and cadre in taking on the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the next elections. BJP`s state president Bandi Sanjay and about 30 other senior leaders are likely to join the `Palle Gosa - BJP Bharosa` program rally which will start on July 21. 

Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay along with 30 other leaders will take part in the awareness rally, while the third phase of Praja Sangrama Yatra will start on August 2, wherein around 1000-2000 people are expected to join it. Three-four hundred people join the Sangram Yatra on the first day. The BJP leaders will reportedly organize bike rallies to find out about the problems in the villages and a key leader has been planned to go to each constituency.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Press Conference, Bandi Sanjay said that the political days of KCR are numbered and `there are several Eknath Shindes in TRS`. "How does CM KCR knows, what happens in the BJP National Executive Committee meeting. You are a state Chief Minister who is saying that the BJP doesn`t have any strategy. If the BJP doesn`t have any strategy then how can it be in power in 18 states. The language CM is using is very shameful, ANI quoted Bandi Sanjay as saying. 

Undeclared 'Emergency' in India, says KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said that an "undeclared Emergency" is on in India, adding "Indira Gandhi was bold enough to declare `Emergency`. But today there is an undeclared Emergency in India." Addressing the media, KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, made it clear that he is going ahead with his own plans for a national political party.

He said, "The Narendra Modi government should go and a non-BJP government should come," while welcoming the Supreme Court's recent observations on former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma`s plea. "Justice Surya Kant and Justice (J.B.) Pardiwala, I am saluting you. Please keep the same spirit to save India. The judiciary has to save the country from these traitors, demons, and dictators," IANS quoted him as saying. 

He took potshots at the Prime Minister and recalled his pre-poll promise to get back black money stashed away in Swiss banks, adding "Instead of reducing black money, today there is far more money in Swiss banks." 

BJP eyeing a southern surge in 2024 LS elections

The BJP appears to be aggressively reaching out to the southern states of the country, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala. The BJP is currently a major player in Karnataka, emerging as a serious player in Telangana, a marginal player in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and almost non-existent in Kerala.

Despite being seen as a largely north and western Indian political party, the BJP successfully extended its footprint to the eastern parts of the country. The recently held National Executive at Hyderabad have amply indicated that the party is moving to tap this region in time for the next general elections in 2024.

Coming after 18 years, the event led to a lot of traction in Telangana where the party is positioning itself as the principal opposition to the ruling TRS led by KCR and his family. The BJP top brass also discussed the Southern strategy in great detail at the Hyderabad meet.

Last week, the central government`s list of Rajya Sabha nominees included one personality each from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Telugu states. Something unheard of till now, the development created a lot of buzz in public and political circles.

The south, with 131 Lok Sabha seats (including Puducherry and Lakshadweep) on offer is the only place where the BJP can look for new seats after establishing itself in its traditional strongholds of North and West India. When the BJP swept to power in 2014, it bagged just 22 seats from the region. In 2019, the BJP tally marginally increased to 30 seats from the south, of which 25 Lok Sabha victories were from Karnataka alone. 

In 2024, the party will have to increase the tally substantially, a BJP leader told IANS. With the Congress which is its main opponent having almost lost relevance in majority of the southern states, the BJP is jumping in for the kill in states like Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Of the five states, Karnataka, and Telangana offer the most promise for the BJP.

With 28 and 17 Lok Sabha seats respectively, the BJP has been a beneficiary of rising communal differences in the two states which have substantial minority populations. In Tamil Nadu with 39 Lok Sabha seats, the prevailing Dravidian sentiments have so far prevented the BJP from making its presence felt, but with growing proselytisation activities of Christian groups and the rising Muslim fundamentalist activities, the party is garnering support in some parts of the state.

Although the state of Andhra Pradesh has 25 Lok Sabha seats at stake, the BJP has never been able to make noticeable inroads here. Here too, prosylitisation has been the main target of the BJP with the party often targeting chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is a Christian, over incidents of temple vandalism. 

The BJP has so far been content to play second fiddle to dominant regional player TDP which had parted ways ahead of the 2019 polls. In 2014, the BJP won two seats in alliance with the TDP and Jana Sena Party. It drew a blank in 2019 fighting on its own. Currently, the BJP has tied up with actor Pawan Kalyan`s Jana Sena Party and is expecting the three parties to get together ahead of the 2024 polls.

Of the 130-odd Lok Sabha seats at stake in the south, the BJP tally has so far not crossed 30 seats. Aiming for a third shot at power, and winning big in the southern states would make a lot of difference for the BJP in 2024. 

(With ANI/IANS Inputs)