Lok Sabha Polls 2024 | In north Telangana, a dent in BRS vote towards Congress may also hurt BJP

Nizamabad/Karimnagar/Adilabad: A possible shift in BRS voters towards the Congress in north Telangana could play spoilsport in BJP’s hopes of cashing in on the gains it made in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2023 Assembly polls.

The mood on the ground in erstwhile districts of North Telangana — Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Adilabad —where the BJP had gained some ground in the last few years show ‘communal polarisation’, especially in urban areas. In 2019, the BJP had won Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad and Secunderabad Lok Sabha segments.

Data shows that Congress has gained in north Telangana, which was once a citadel of the BRS, and this is evident with the grand old party winning 33 out of the 51 assembly seats in last year’s assembly polls.

“We have traditionally been with the Congress, but since the Telangana stir, we all supported TRS and KCR, until now. Now that BRS is out of power and focus, we are back with the Congress, which is the only party that can safeguard our rights,” said Mehboob, 63, who repaired cycles for 40 years and lives near Ek Minar Masjid in Nizamabad.

Many Muslim respondents with whom DH interacted echoed similar sentiments.

From zero to winning seven Assembly and three Lok Sabha seats in the last few elections in the north Telangana region that borders Karnataka and Maharashtra, the BJP has come a long way, and it is in this region that the BJP is expecting some decent strike rate apart from the Greater Hyderabad region of the state.

“We stood with the BRS in the 2014 and 2018 elections. But, we didn’t vote for it later as the party did not implement certain schemes like Dalit Bandhu and two-bedroom houses for everyone,” said a Dalit tea seller from Karimnagar.

North Telangana appears to have been fertile ground for the BJP to implement its agenda, as its affiliates, such as Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram and other groups, worked extensively over the years to create an ecosystem that is conducive for the party to thrive.

Bandi Sanjay, BJP national general secretary and Karimnagar MP, who is seeking re-election from the seat, refuses to agree that communal polarisation is helping the safron party.

“These are Modi’s elections. It’s not about communal polarisation. We have been telling, based on our extensive work on the ground in north Telangana and other parts of the state, that the BJP will see good results,” Sanjay told DH.

In 2020 and 2021, communal riots took place in north Telangana’s Bhainsa and Mudhole towns, which BJP candidates won in the previous year’s Assembly polls.

Muslims, who make up approximately 12.7% of Telangana’s population of 4.1 crore, are critical for others in the poll fray.

“After the last year’s Assembly elections, it is evident that there has been a major shift of Muslim votes towards Congress outside Hyderabad, and it is keenly watched now how that shift will pan out for parties in the rest of Telangana,” said Adhyayana Vedika, a member of Telangana Journalists Adhyayana Vedika.