Why Bandi Sanjay Kumar is BJP’s answer to KCR’s clout in Telangana

After the latest drubbing in the crucial Munugode bypolls, the BJP in Telangana may be looking to reinvent itself by projecting a regional face for the party in line with the leadership culture of regional parties like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The party’s attempt is conspicuous by the increasing visibility of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and the silence of senior leaders, who seem to have been pushed to the sidelines.

Key leaders take a backseat

For instance, Eatala Rajender, the “man of the match” of the Huzurabad by-election, is nowhere to be seen. Actor-turned-politician Vijayashanti has also disappeared from the scene. While prominent leaders like AP Jitender Reddy, DK Aruna, Konda Visweswara Reddy and Dr Bura Narasiah Goud, who had actively campaigned for the Munugode by-elections, have been confined to speeches and statements, only Bandi, a Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar constituency, has had the special privilege of crisscrossing the state on Rytu Yatras, Prajasangram Yatra and rallies to protest against unemployment.

Local media say that several leaders are upset with Bandi’s unilateral style of functioning. But, despite complaints against him, Bandi continues to lead yatras with his chief target being Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his family.

Also read: How YS Sharmila has emerged as a serious player in Telangana politics

This has led to the assumption that the BJP is metamorphosing into a ‘Telangana version’ with a regional leader who hails from interior Telangana and uses the local dialect to connect with people, at the helm.

Will KCR meet his match?

Many in the party are convinced that Bandi will be projected as the party’s regional face to take on KCR in the next Assembly Elections and the General Elections in 2023.

“Two general elections have been fought in Telangana with the portraits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Despite their popularity and efficient guidance, people in the state felt something was amiss in the BJP’s campaign. Central leaders would come and go after addressing a couple of meetings. But, who would carry forward the campaign in the face of fierce attacks by Chief Minister KCR? There was a leadership vacuum. The high command appears to have realised this and decided to project Bandi Sanjay Kumar as the Telangana face of the party to bridge this gap,” the sources in the party said on the condition of anonymity.

The lack of competent regional leaders to match and counter the powerful influence of regional satraps has been attributed to the BJP’s poll routs in non-Hindi states, including Telangana. Even though the BJP had appointed committed leaders such as Bandaru Dattatreya, Dr K Laxman and G Kishan Reddy as state party chiefs, their Hyderabadi upbringing could not match KCR’s clout in Telangana and the level of political communication he had with the people in the state.

Besides the art of repartee and oration, these leaders also lacked the sharp wit and biting sarcasm that KCR is known for – the chief minister has often been accused of using “filthy” and “derogatory” language against Opposition leaders, triggering political storms.

‘Thorn in TRS’ flesh’

The scene, however, has undergone a sea change with the arrival of Bandi as BJP state chief. Little known outside the party earlier, his selection to the post itself was a surprise to many. An insider said that the BJP must have appointed him as state chief after concluding that his non-Hyderabad connection and link with the grassroots may make him an able competitor to KCR.

Bandi’s unapologetic Hindutva background among party MPs, also may have favoured his selection. Bandi, 51, who hails from Karimnagar, a stronghold of TRS, was appointed president of Telangana BJP in March 2020.

It is two-and-a-half years since then, and Bandi has practically become a thorn in TRS’ flesh.

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His oratory skills and effortless use of the Telangana dialect and idiom instantly connected him to the masses. His fiery speeches create the same impact that KCR’s does with the masses. The unsparing attack he launched against KCR, his son KTR and daughter Kavita was a comeback that BJP workers have been waiting for.

Returning KCR’s sarcasm with diatribes

If KCR slams the Opposition with his sarcasm, Bandi gives it back with his diatribes. The latter has used the choicest of derogative slurs to slam KCR and his family during his padayatras. He deployed without any second thought the anti-Muslim rhetoric during the campaign for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. He even spoke of surgical strikes in Hyderabad. He called the Kaleswaram project, which is promoted as a showpiece of KCR’s achievement, the “ATM of KCR”. His speeches hurt the TRS leadership so deeply that they had to make an open appeal to BJP against Bandi’s language.

Many party leaders believe that it was because of Bandi’s aggressive stand against KCR, his family members’ alleged corruption, and his threats to send KCR to jail, that the anti-incumbency among the people found expression in the votes the BJP garnered in the by-elections and the GHMC election.

Huge crowds at Bandi’s ongoing Praja Sangrama Yatra even drew the attention of Prime Minister Modi. Modi called Bandi to congratulate him on the response the yatra was generating among the people of Telangana. An aide of Bandi told The Federal that Modi now wants Bandi to brief him about the success of the yatra and the latter is expected to give a video presentation on the yatra before the PM and party MPs.

Also read: Worried about BJP’s growing clout, TRS may advance polls in Telangana

Makes bosses happy, ruffles feathers

Even though a few leaders are unhappy with the “unfriendly” style of Bandi and his “unilateral” way of working, Modi’s appreciation and periodic participation of national leaders, including party president JP Nadda in the Bandi’s yatra are seen as an endorsement of the latter’s leadership.

Chalasani Narendra, a close observer of Sangh Parivar politics, said the reports that BJP is projecting Bandi as the face of the party in Telangana could not be ruled out. Narendra said it was a new strategy of the BJP and said a solo performance by Bandi is not possible without the backing of high command.

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“If the party were to emerge as an alternative to TRS in the state, a local leader needs to be promoted as the face of the party. Bandi did succeed in enthusing party cadres and proving his mettle. However, the Munugodu bypolls exposed the chinks in his armour. He needs to take along other leaders who could focus on grass-roots level. While promoting the regional face, the BJP cannot repeat the mistake that leader-centric regional parties are committing,” Narendra said.