BRS yet to clear air on Maha polls; party workers in a bind

Hyderabad: With Assembly elections approaching in Maharashtra, BRS leaders from the state are seeking guidance from party leadership in Telangana regarding their election plans. It remains uncertain whether the Pink party will participate in the elections.

The BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao was keen on pan India expansion after Telangana elections. However, the plans failed after the defeat of the party in the 2023 Assembly elections. It was anticipated that the BRS might challenge the two national parties in Telangana and Maharashtra, but KCR decided against contesting the election despite requests from the State unit of the neighboring State. Dejected with the party’s stand, some of the leaders left the party before the Lok Sabha elections.

With the State Assembly elections approaching in three to four months, leaders in Maharashtra are pressing for a decision from the party. They are uncertain whether the BRS chief will make a decision to contest or opt not to, similar to the approach taken during the Lok Sabha elections. A senior leader of the party from Maharashtra talking to The Hans India said that they were in touch with the party’s leadership in Hyderabad. The BRS leader said that the last time they met KCR was during the latter’s Nizamabad tour as part of his bus yatra in May. The BRS leader mentioned, “He instructed us to focus on party activities and assured us of a forthcoming meeting to discuss future developments.” The BRS leader speculated that the delay in the meeting might be attributed to the Lok Sabha election results.

The party has taken up membership drive in Maharashtra before the Lok Sabha elections and enrolled about 19 lakh members including 16 lakh online membership. Another senior leader said that he had come to meet KCR a month back but could not meet him as he was busy with the election campaign. “There is good scope for the party in Maharashtra. There is sympathy for KCR and BRS in Maharashtra where people are saying in spite of all the development, he had to be on the losing side. There is big scope for the party there in the present political scenario and I am sure if BRS contests in Maharashtra, no party will form government without the support of BRS,” said the party leader.