SNCN ACHARYULU
Hyderabad
Some senior BJP leaders were not able to digest the decision of the party’s high command over contesting in Assembly elections.
The BJP high command reportedly told its state leadership that all senior leaders should prepare to contest in the Assembly elections. The BJP leadership wants to come second if it cannot win the Assembly elections.
The BJP high command thinks that if senior leaders contest to the Assembly winning chances will be more. Some senior BJP leaders and those who joined from other parties prefer to contest the Lok Sabha elections than the Assembly elections. They think that the possibility of the BJP coming to power in TS is less.
In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is sure of a hat-trick victory. If the BJP wins the Lok Sabha elections they can try for a minister post in the Union Cabinet, senior BJP leaders think.
In fact, some senior BJP leaders had decided to contest to the Lok Sabha than to the Assembly even when there was hype that the BJP is going to win the TS Assembly elections.
After the Karnataka Assembly elections, they decided to contest only to the Lok Sabha. But the BJP high command has dashed their hopes now.
Senior BJP leaders think that if they contest to the Assembly and win they will have no chance of contesting in the Lok Sabha elections. If they win the Lok Sabha polls they will have to resign their Assembly seat. It is not easy for the BJP to win Assembly elections. So the BJP high command may not consider party MLAs for giving Lok Sabha tickets.
Senior BJP leaders think that winning in the Lok Sabha elections is easy than winning in Assembly elections. In this context, they quote the results of the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and BJP General Secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar were defeated in the Assembly elections but won in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP high command gave Lok Sabha tickets to Kishan Reddy and Sanjay as both were defeated in the Assembly elections.
Senior BJP leaders think that the BJP has a bright chance of winning the Lok Sabha elections than the Assembly elections.
Compared to last time, now the BJP has less shortage of candidates. Due to a lack of strong candidates the BJP high command had considered Kishan Reddy and Sanjay for the Lok Sabha even although they were defeated in Assembly elections. But this time the BJP high command may not consider their names if they are defeated in Assembly elections.
