BRS, a non-entity in erstwhile East & West Godavari districts

Rajamahendravaram/Eluru: People are familiar with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. But no one knows Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). As of now, it is a non-entity here, says Saladi Venkateswara Rao, working as a security guard in Rajamahendravaram.

Further, selfish leaders (of AP) might switch over their loyalties overnight, joining hands with TS CM KCR. However, the BRS chief's statements against the people of AP are not something they can easily forget, he says. Thus, it will be tough for BRS to set foot during elections in East Godavari.

T Chitti Babu, a legal practitioner from Tanuku of erstwhile West Godavari district, says, "Now, people are in confusion over choosing between YSRCP and TDP, and Jana Sena stands in the third slot." There is hardly any space for BRS in Tanuku, Tadepalligudem, Bhimavaram, Narasapuram and several other Assembly segments in the former West Godavari district.

However, Srikanth Naidu of Razole went a step further, claiming that it seems the BRS wanted to take advantage of leaders based on a community basis. "Not only BRS, but its earlier avatar of TRS is also a stranger in the Konaseema area. The communities' faultlines like Kapu vs other communities existing in the area have already polarised. Voters are either looking towards the YSRCP or TDP. In a few pockets, people might be looking at Jana Sena.

Satyanarayan Raju, involved in prawn culture in Bhimavaram rural, is more vocal in saying there is no place for the third party anywhere in the Assembly segments, with vote banks belonging to the fishermen community, Kapus and Kshatriya communities. So, BRS can safely forget shore areas like Narasapuram, Mumidivaram, Kakinada, Machiplipatnam and the like.

When asked, Odelu of Rampachodavaram, questioned what BRS has to do with the tribal areas of Ramachodavaram, Sithanagaram, and Jangareddygudem. He finds that people in the tribal belt of Paderu to Jangareddygudem would see BRS as an outside entity. Because, most of them are aware of parties like the Congress, TDP and YSRCP. Even BJP is a stranger to people in many tribal hamlets, he adds.