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BRS plans outreach ahead of Karnataka polls
JD (S) leader and former chief minister of Karnataka H D Kumaraswamy has been regularly visiting Hyderabad to attend the major events of the BRS
Hyderabad
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is planning to test its fortunes by contesting in a select number of assembly constituencies in the upcoming assembly elections in neighbouring Karnataka, a senior party leader familiar with the development said.
KCR, as the Telangana chief minister is called, has already announced that the BRS would have an electoral alliance with the Janata Dal (S) and would campaign for it in the Karnataka elections, scheduled in May.
JD (S) leader and former chief minister of Karnataka H D Kumaraswamy has been regularly visiting Hyderabad to attend the major events of the BRS, right from the day of change of name of the party from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) into BRS on October 5, the official launch of the BRS on December 9 and the inauguration of BRS national headquarters in Delhi on December 14.
At the same time, the BRS leader said, the party is contemplating contesting a few seats in the Karnataka elections to test the waters for the party’s growth as a national party in the coming years.
“It will be the first electoral battle for the BRS outside Telangana. Though the general response from the leaders of the neighbouring state to the BRS is very encouraging, the party has to assess how the people on the ground will react to the entry of the BRS,” the leader said.
The BRS is most likely to confine itself to the constituencies of Karnataka districts, bordering Telangana – Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar and Yadgir -- that were originally part of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad Deccan, ruled by the Nizams before it was merged with Indian Union in 1948.
“Two other districts – Bellary and Koppal – were also part of Hyderabad Deccan and have a sizeable population of Telugus. But they are closer to Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh state. There, too, the BRS can try to contest a few seats,” the party leader said.
The chief minister has asked some of his cabinet colleagues and MLAs in the districts like Mahabubnagar, Ranga Reddy, Vikarabad, Sangareddy and Medak, bordering Karnataka state, to make a study on the political situation in these bordering areas and the prospects of the BRS there in the upcoming elections.
“Our ministers like V Srinivas Goud and S Niranjan Reddy from Mahabubnagar also visited a few places in Raichur district in the recent past and spoke to local leaders and representatives of farmers and Dalits. Similarly, some MLAs from the border districts are also in regular touch with Karnataka leaders,” he said.
Last week, Telangana tribal welfare minister Satyavathi Rathod visited Gulbarga and took part in a meeting organised by local JD (S) leaders. She said the BRS leaders, including the chief minister, would extensively campaign for its alliance partner in Karnataka elections. She also indicated that the BRS might contest the elections in this part of Karnataka.
Veteran journalist and political analyst Mir Ayub Ali Khan said though it is too early to predict whether the BRS would win any seats in Karnataka, it would definitely make an impact in the Hyderabad Karnataka region.
The districts bordering Telangana and Andhra account for 31 assembly seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly, majority of them being dominated by the Congress and the BJP. “The BRS might not contest all these seats, but might focus on those seats which have sizeable Muslim population, particularly in Gulbarga, Bidar and Yadgir areas,” Khan said.
He said people of these areas have close connection with the Telangana region culturally and historically because they were all under the Nizam regime. “During the military action on the erstwhile Hyderabad state, the Muslims of Marathwada region – now part of Maharashtra – had faced a carnage, while those in Hyderabad Karnataka region were relatively safe. So, they have a better relationship with the Telangana,” he said.
Khan further said the Karnataka-Hyderabad region had some of the most economically backward areas and had been subject to decades of neglect by all the governments. At the same time, the people of this region are keenly watching the welfare and developmental schemes being implemented in Telangana and have been demanding their government to replicate the same.
“KCR can exploit this situation in the upcoming elections. While showcasing the development of Telangana, he can make similar promises there to seek their votes. Moreover, KCR has a positive image among the Muslim community and being a good orator in Urdu, he can impress them. At the same time, the BRS can also split the Hindu votes to gain the electoral benefits,” he said.
He also did not rule out the possibility of the BRS entering into some kind of unwritten understanding with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, which has some strong support base in Gulbarga and Bidar. “It would also help the BRS to some extent,” Khan added.
