It’s time for BRS to wake up

Warangal: Even as suspense and speculation continue over BRS’ choice of nominee for the Warangal (SC Reserved) Lok Sabha constituency, the pink party is in danger of losing its second-rung leaders who play a vital role in reaching out to the voters.

The delay in announcing the BRS candidate will have an adverse effect, especially in holding the cadre together. The Congress and the BJP have already focused on strengthening their forces by attracting second-rung leaders irrespective of party lines. With no one, especially the candidate, to manoeuver, the BRS cadre has become a subject of poaching by the BJP and the Congress.

The BRS leaders say that they already lost a good chunk of cadre continuously since their election debacle. “It’s difficult to gather the second leaders once they scatter to other parties. It appears that the party is to suffer more before the candidate is finalised and gets down to the election campaign,” a senior BRS leader told The Hans India on condition of anonymity.

“The second-rung leaders are not only useful in reaching out to the voters but also play a significant role in poll management before and after the polling, hence it’s high time for the leadership to wake up and make amendments,” the BRS leader said.

This apart, the candidate to whom the ticket will be given needs time to coordinate with the leaders of seven Assembly segments. “Campaigning takes a toll on Lok Sabha candidates if the elections are held separately for the Parliament and State Assemblies,” another BRS leader said.

Meanwhile, the BRS sources say that their leadership is yet to reveal its game plan. The leadership is somewhat flabbergasted after former MLA Aroori Ramesh, and Kavya, daughter of Station Ghanpur BRS MLA Kadiyam Srihari refused to contest for the Warangal Lok Sabha seat on the BRS ticket. Moreover, they embraced the BJP and the Congress and both are election fray. In a spiral effect, these developments also led the sitting Warangal MP Pasunuri Dayakar to join the Congress.

As of now, it appears that Swapna, wife of former Narsampet MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, is a strong contender for the ticket. Swapna is no novice to politics as she already holds the post of BRS Floor Leader in the Warangal Zilla Parishad. Educationist Jannu Paramjyothy, and former corporators Boda Dinna and Jorika Ramesh are in the race for the BRS ticket. Meanwhile, speculation is rife that the BRS is also considering the candidature of former MLA Thatikonda Rajaiah, who quit the pink party after Assembly polls.