Hyderabad
The Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has constituted a committee exclusively to poach potential leaders from other political parties who can bolster the party’s winning chances in the next assembly elections in 2023, party leaders said.
The committee, named ‘Joining and coordination committee”, will be headed by Nallu Indrasena Reddy, former MP and BJP ex-president in combined Andhra Pradesh. Former Telangana state legislative council chairman Swamy Goud, former ministers A Chandrasekhar and D Ravindra Naik, former MLC N Ramachandra Rao, former MLA Rajeshwar Rao and former Mahila Morcha president of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Bandari Radhika will be its members.
BJP state general secretary G Premender Reddy said several MLAs, MPs, former ministers, former MLAs and prominent leaders of various parties at the district and state level were keen on joining the BJP.
“Besides, several intellectuals, educated youth and industrialists are also showing enthusiasm on joining the BJP in Telangana. The joining and coordination committee will examine their credentials and commitment towards the party’s ideology and principles, before recommending to the party for admitting them,” Reddy said.
The committee would also see that the entry of new leaders would not affect the interests of the existing BJP leaders in their respective constituencies. “It will coordinate with the existing party leaders and the new comers so that the party would be strengthened at all levels,” the BJP general secretary said.
{{/usCountry}}The committee would also see that the entry of new leaders would not affect the interests of the existing BJP leaders in their respective constituencies. “It will coordinate with the existing party leaders and the new comers so that the party would be strengthened at all levels,” the BJP general secretary said.
{{/usCountry}}Another senior BJP leader, who preferred anonymity, said the committee would primarily focus on attracting strong leaders from other parties, who have the potential to win the next elections.
“Though many people are interested in joining the BJP, there is no point in taking all and sundry into the party. We are looking at such candidates, who have a strong cadre base in their respective constituencies and can influence the local electorate,” he said.
The coordination committee would identify such leaders belonging to the TRS and the Congress and poach them by offering posts. “As the elections approach, we would be able to find more such leaders,” the BJP leader said.
The BJP is also focusing on the assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Telangana. State BJP president Bandi Sanjay appointed separate coordination committees for constituencies reserved for SCs and STs.
While former parliament member A P Jitender Reddy has been appointed as the chairman of the coordination committee for SC-reserved constituencies, former MP Garikapati Mohan Rao would head the coordination committee for ST-reserved constituencies. The two committees comprise former MPs and former MLAs, besides other senior leaders of the party.
“The party is concentrating on grabbing all the assembly constituencies reserved for SCs and STs in the next assembly constituencies by adopting innovative strategies. The committees would extensively tour these reserved constituencies, strengthen the party committees from polling booth level to the constituency level, and coordinate their activities at the state level,” the BJP general secretary said.
The committees would work out the action plan in these constituencies by studying the issues at the grassroots level and submit a report to the state committee, Reddy added.