Can the stardom of BJP's Bandi Sanjay Kumar help him wrest Karimnagar from BRS?

On Saturday night, former Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar halted at a roadside restaurant on Rajiv Rahadari that connects Karimnagar with Hyderabad. He was returning after attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting in Hyderabad.

The news that Bandi was having tea on the expressway spread like wildfire. It made dozens of motorists stop by to greet him. Women rushed to him for a group photo. Youths took selfies with the BJP leader. Such was the crowd that it rendered the BJP leader's brief chat with The Federal nearly impossible.

Although elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019, Bandi Sanjay, who was little known till he became president of the Telangana BJP in March 2020, is now a star of Hindutva politics in the state. His strident Hindutva rhetoric and fierce anti-KCR stance has transformed him into a hugely popular face.

However, he was removed as state president when he was emerging as the regional face of the party, allegedly after a deal the saffron party struck with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. His axing generated much sympathy for him. He is fighting for the Karimnagar Assembly seat, banking on this social capital.

Will his new stardom help this two-time loser to win from Karimangar where Muslims are a major vote bank?

Bitterly anti-KCR

“Only KCR’s voice was heard until I started questioning his misrule, corruption and family dominance in Telangana. How has the BJP become a force now? We exposed through padayatras, direct interactions with people and agitations on how KCR’s family is controlling the state, hiding behind a welfare rhetoric. BJP’s win in two byelections, Dubbaka and Huzurabad, and in the GHMC election was the result of this hard work,” he told The Federal.

The BJP leader added that a peeved state government had filed 74 cases in a bid to silence him. In his view, the talk now on the need to have a change in Telangana was the outcome of the BJP’s emergence as an alternative to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

Bandi, a national general secretary of the BJP, is locked in a triangular contest in Karimnagar also involving the BRS and Congress.

The BRS rival, Gangula Kamalakar, is a third-time MLA and a member of KCR’s cabinet. Kamalakar won from Karimnagar the first time as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate in 2009. Later, before the formation of Telangana, he joined TRS. He won the 2014 and 2018 elections as TRS candidate. Even though Kamalakar defeated Bandi in the two previous elections, there was a decline in his vote share.

Both the Congress and BJP talk about growing disenchantment with BRS. While Kamalakar won by 24,754 votes in 2014, the margin dipped to 14,974 in 2018 despite a BRS wave in the state. Bandi’s vote share rose by 5.38 per cent.

“I can’t say who will win. But I am sure this election will herald a change. People, especially youths, are unhappy. I am 32 and without a job. I have been preparing for state competitive exams for eight years. But all TSPSC exams are either cancelled or postponed. Who is responsible?” B Mahesh, a victim of TSPSC’s cancelled exams, told The Federal in Karimnagar town.

Varying voices

The townfolk’s perspective is different compared to the rural counterparts who are beneficiaries of welfare schemes.

Chigiri Sankar and Gopu Narottam Reddy, both retired government employees, were vocal in their opposition to the BRS government’s attitude towards the employees. “For the first time, salaries of employees are getting delayed. Many promises such as appointing a Pay Revision Commission and releasing DA instalments remain unfulfilled,” one of them said. “This is expected to go against BRS.”

Bheemanapalli Padma, whose family is a beneficiary of old age pension and Rythu Bandhu schemes, is happy with the government. A native of Baddipalli, Padma is a fruit vendor in Karimnagar. A Munnuru Kapu by caste, she proudly claims that she is a fan of KCR. “I am satisfied with the BRS government,” she said.

A graduate farmer, who was drying the corn harvest on the highway, also backed the BRS, citing its farmer-centric programs.

The third important candidate in the fray is Congress’ Purumalla Srinivas, who is contesting for the first time an assembly election. Incidentally, all three candidates belong to Munnuru Kapu, an influential backward community. Munnuru Kapus (about 60,000) along with Muslims (about 70,000) constitute a major chunk of the electorate of 3.40 lakh. The other key castes are Velama (the community that KCR belongs to) and Reddy (to which PCC president Revanth Reddy belongs).

"This is a worrying factor for the BJP. “BRS has a secret tie-up with AIMIM to woo the Muslim votes by offering Mayorship to the latter in next elections,” alleged Bandi Sanjay, who launched his political career as corporator of Karimnagar in 2005, showing the pictures of Gangula Kamalakar and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. But he hopes this will be countered by awareness among the Hindu youth.

Congress hopes for revival

Over time, there has been an attempt by PCC chief Revanth Reddy to consolidate the Reddys under the Congress banner.

If the votes are split caste-wise against this backdrop, BRS’ Gangula will get a chunk of Munnuru Kapu, Velama (KCR caste) and Muslim votes, which BRS workers believe is enough to give a fourth victory to the party.

Congress candidate Srinivas is also equally confident of getting Muslim support because of the alleged BRS-BJP secret pact. He is sure of getting a major chunk of Reddy votes as well beside his own Munnuru Kapu votes.

“The revival of the Congress has begun in the state. All those who favored BRS when there was no Congress around will return to our party,” Srinivas told The Federal.