Hyderabad, July 20: Facing a threat to its very existence following crushing defeat in Telangana Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and due to a series of defections by its legislators, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is considering a merger or an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BRS leadership reportedly has started talks with the BJP leaders for merger or an alliance, which will alter the political dynamics in Telangana.
BRS president and former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is said to be in a shock after losing 10 MLAs to the ruling Congress party during the last few months. The exodus of leaders from BRS gathered pace after the party failed to win even a single seat in Lok Sabha elections.
The strength of BRS in 119-member Telangana Assembly has also come down to 28 from 39 it won in November 2023 elections. The party also suffered defeat in the by-election to Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly seat held in May.
On the other hand, the tally of Congress party has gone up to 75, further consolidating the position of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
KCR is believed to be adopting the strategy of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu, who recently formed the government in Andhra Pradesh with a landslide victory in alliance with the BJP and Jana Sena Party.
The BRS chief, who is worried over the future of BRS due to a series of defections, believes that an alliance with BJP can save the party from losing its relevance and help take on Congress.
Senior Congress leader and former MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi also claimed that BRS will merge with the BJP. He said K.T. Rama Rao and Harish Rao visited Delhi and held discussion about merger with top leaders of BJP.
The top BRS leader met a senior leader of the RSS who holds a key position in the BJP to discuss the next step.
The RSS leader reportedly suggested that the future of BRS MLAs and significant leaders would be secured if a merger were to occur.
The BJP leaders in Telangana are divided over the alliance with the BJP. Union minister G. Kishan Reddy is not happy with the proposed merger of BRS with the BJP but another union minister Bandi Sanjay is in favour of the alliance between the two parties.
Three MPs are believed to be opposed to the idea, two MPs and other key leaders are in favour.
The BRS has officially not commented on the reports but a remark by a senior leader has given credence. Former MP B Vinod Kumar has said that everything is on the table and that anything can happen in politics.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has wondered whether the BRS will merge with the BJP or forge an alliance with the saffron party. Concerned over the possibility of BJP consolidating itself in the state, the Hyderabad MP said his party’s apprehensions were coming true.
“In 2008-2009, my party wrote to the then President Pranab Mukherjee that injustice was prevailing in Telangana in undivided Andhra Pradesh and it was underdeveloped. But we also said that if a state was formed, the BJP will become strong here,” he said.
Ever since the formation of Telangana state in 2014, AIMIM has been a friendly party of BRS. Owaisi’s party backed BRS in all elections held during the last 10 years. However, in recent Lok Sabha polls, it backed Congress.
Owaisi has also been a great admirer of KCR’s secular thinking and his political sagacity. It may be recalled that a few months ago KCR was talking of forging an alliance against the BJP and had declared that Owaisi will also join in these efforts to bring together parties opposed to the saffron party.
However, after losing power to Congress and the humiliating defeat in Lok Sabha elections, the BRS has considerably weakened. A section of BRS leaders feel that if nothing was done immediately to check the defections, the party will lose its cadre at the ground level, making it difficult for the party to bounce back.
BJP, which had won eight Assembly seats, also bagged eight Lok Sabha seats in the recent elections. The party doubled its tally compared to 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
