BJP, BRS facing problems in finding strong candidates

SNCN ACHARYULU
Hyderabad

The BRS and the BJP have become bitter political enemies and are doing everything possible to outsmart each other in the next elections.While the BJP is trying to defeat the BRS in the next Telangana Assembly elections, the BRS is trying to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Interestingly, both the BRS and the BJP are facing similar problems in finding candidates.

In the 119-member Telangana Assembly to form a government a party has to secure at least 60 seats. Similarly, in the 543-member Lok Sabha, a party has to win at least 272 seats in the LS elections to form a government on its own.

While the BJP is facing problems in finding strong candidates in many TS Assembly constituencies the BRS is likely to face a problem in fielding strong candidates outside Telangana.

Another interesting point is that in Telangana to form a government the BJP has to win at least 60 Assembly seats. But it has no strong candidates in 60 constituencies. The BJP is looking for BRS and Congress leaders to field them in the Assembly elections.

The BRS is also facing a similar problem. At least 272 LS seats are required to form a government at the Centre and it will be a very difficult job to find strong candidates in 272 Lok Sabha constituencies for the BRS.

The BRS will mostly depend on farmer organisations in other states, particularly in the north.

If anti-BJP parties win the required number of seats to form a government at the Centre there will be a chance to form a coalition government with the BRS.But in TS the BJP has no such chance. In Telangana, the main political parties are the BRS, the BJP and the Congress. In case, the BRS fails to win the required number of seats to form a government there is no chance to form a coalition government by the BJP or the Congress. Then again the BRS will have a chance to form a government.

The BRS wants to defeat the BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections and wants to become the alternative to the BJP and the Congress at the national level. If the BRS fails to field candidates in most LS constituencies its image and that of KCR will take a beating.

The BRS cannot field commoners to contest the Lok Sabha elections like the AAP. If the BRS has an alliance with parties like the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka it may be able to find candidates in those states. But the BRS will have to find candidates in other states where it does not have alliances with any party.