30 Apr. 24: In the aftermath of significant defections and internal challenges, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana faces a daunting task in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with the political landscape now dominated by a fierce contest between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Following the BRS’s disappointing performance in the recent assembly elections, where it lost ground to the Congress led by A Revanth Reddy, the stage is now set for a head-to-head battle between the two national parties in the majority of the state’s Lok Sabha constituencies, scheduled for May 13.
The BRS, which secured nine Lok Sabha seats out of 17 in the 2019 general elections, suffered a series of setbacks as key leaders defected to the Congress and the BJP in the last five months. This exodus, including defections of MPs, MLAs, and senior party members, has significantly weakened the BRS’s position, leaving it scrambling to field viable candidates for the upcoming polls.
While the Congress aims to leverage its recent electoral success and the leadership of Revanth Reddy, the BJP, buoyed by its improved performance in recent years, including winning eight assembly seats in 2023, is banking on the Modi factor to propel its campaign to victory.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a rally in Siddipet, expressed confidence in the BJP’s prospects, with senior party leaders aiming to secure a significant portion of the state’s Lok Sabha seats, if not a majority.
In contrast, the Congress, under the leadership of Revanth Reddy, is focused on highlighting its achievements in governance over the past five months and countering the allegations leveled by the BRS regarding the implementation of pre-election promises.
With both parties intensifying their campaigns across the state and rallying support from national leaders, Telangana braces itself for a highly contested Lok Sabha election, where the outcome could reshape the state’s political landscape.
