Opposing views within BJP on poll performance

Hyderabad: One day left until the poll results are out, and there are conflicting views about the party's performance within the rank and file of the BJP.

The BJP has been claiming that it will form the government in Telangana. But the math is not squaring up with the assessment for the party to come anywhere near the formation of the government. Doubts were expressed about whether it would play a key role in the ensuing State Assembly.

Speaking to The Hans India, the party has relied on its improved vote share during the earlier by-polls and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections.

One of the State leaders said the equations and perceptions of the party were different then. The party can not totally rely on the same to claim that it would get a majority to form a government, as claimed by some party leaders.

Secondly, the party's level of momentum has gone down in the people's perception for about three months before the change of guard of the State party chief. As a result, the saffron brigade took quite a while to make a move and bounce back to cover the ground to some extent.

“Yet, momentum built up as an emerging force vis-a-vis the ruling BRS for about two years has been lost,” points out a senior party leader involved in the Assembly elections in 2018 and 2023.

Secondly, much of the party's hopes to improve its tally would come from Northern Telangana, with a few in single digits from the GHMC area as the prevailing feeling in certain quarters of the party.

Further, the party made a different move than the other parties, announcing the BC Chief Minister and promising the sub-categorisation of the SC reservations to benefit Madiga's, who constitute the majority of the population within the SCs.

However, to what extent it cut the ground to bring the party the much-needed political dividends is really uncertain. Similarly, the party will keep its vote share growth in the post-Assembly by-polls, and GHMC is also going to be on the test, the party sources point out.