Telangana CM visits Nanded, appeals to vote for his new party

Mumbai: Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao held a rally in Nanded on Sunday

Mumbai: Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao held a rally in Nanded on Sunday. The development came after he renamed his party to Bharat Rashtra Samitih (BRS) for national acceptance and to spread its wings out of Telangana. KCR shouted ‘Abki Baar Kisaan Sarkar’ (this time around, government by farmers) and said it would be the slogan for the party.

Khammam: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, at the BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) party's rally, in Khammam, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (PTI Photo) (PTI01_18_2023_000407A) (PTI)

The rally, which drew a good crowd, saw a bunch of Congress and Shiv Sena leaders joining it. People from the border Tehsils of Deglur, Biloli and Dharmabad participated in the rally. Rao appealed to people to vote for his party candidates in the forthcoming local body polls in Maharashtra.

Rao said that it is time for the farmers to take the reins of the nation by becoming MLAs and MPs. “If we unite, it is possible as farmers account for 42% of the population and it crosses 50% if the farm labourers are added. It is time for farmers to write and make rules,” he added.

According to an MLA from BRS, the party has aimed at three tehsils in Maharashtra that share a boundary with Telangana and are dependent on the neighbouring state for most of the schemes. “The farmers in these tehsils benefit from the health, ration schemes and free electricity. Many of them marry their daughters in Telangana families and vice versa, while some of them also vote in local body elections in the neighbouring state. The farmers disgruntled by Congress and Shiv Sena may get attracted towards BRS which is planning to field candidates in forthcoming elections,” he added.

In his attempt to project himself as the next PM candidate, KCR had sought to join hands with regional parties like the undivided Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party in February 2022. It is not clear whether the two Maharashtra parties that are in alliance with Congress would give the same response to KCR after the change in the name of his party.