Is it a political strategy?
SNCN ACHARYULU
Hyderabad
Why the senior BJP leaders are showing interest to contest against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in the upcoming Assembly elections? KCR has decided to contest from his sitting Assembly constituency Gajwel and also from Kamareddy Assembly constituency.
Former minister and BJP MLA Etala Rajendar in the past announced several times that he is ready to contest against KCR from Gajwel if the high command agrees. After KCR announced that he will contest from Kamareddy also, now former MP and senior BJP leader Vijayashanthi is showing interest to contest against KCR from Kamareddy. Everybody knows that it is not easy to win contesting against KCR.
In any election the political leaders will try to contest from where they have better opportunities to win. But no leader prepares to contest from a place where there is no guarantee for the victory. The sources in the BJP say that it may be their political strategy to show interest in contesting against KCR.
The party leadership also did not agree to field a strong candidate against KCR. If they contest in any other constituency they may have better winning chances than on winning against KCR. For example, if Etala contests from his own constituency Huzurabad he will have better chances in winnning than in Gajwel contesting against KCR.
If the BJP high command agrees to field strong candidates who are showing interest to contest against KCR they may have some political benefits. If they win against KCR they will get the name as a ‘giant killer ‘. By contesting against KCR they will get more publicity at the national level and if they get defeated they will get some sympathy from the leadership.
The party leadership may give another chance to them in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the party leadership had given tickets to some leaders who were defeated in the Assembly elections which were held just before five months.
If not, the BJP leadership may give a chance in the Rajya Sabha elections in future. If they win in the Lok Sabha elections or get Rajya Sabha seat there are chances of becoming a union minister also, they feel.
The leaders who are showing interest to contest against KCR will have political benefits whether they win or lose. Coming forward on their own to contest against KCR is making a sacrifice for the benefit of the party, commented a senior party leader.
