BJP will go solo in Telangana municipal elections: Ramchander Rao

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will go it alone in the upcoming municipal elections in Telangana, the party’s state president N Ramchander Rao announced on Tuesday, January 13.

He, however, said that the BJP would welcome support from any other party. The BJP leader’s clarification came days after the announcement by Jana Sena Party that it will contest the municipal elections in Telangana.

Jana Sena, led by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan, is an ally of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh.

“Jana Sena is a political party. What’s wrong if they contest the elections?” asked Ramchander Rao when media persons sought his reaction on the decision of Jana Sena. Ramchander Rao reiterated that the BJP has emerged as an alternative political force in Telangana and needs no alliance with any party to contest the municipal elections.

His assertion came amid reports that Jana Sena’s decision to contest urban local body elections, including in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), is causing tension in the BJP.

Jana Sena plans to field candidates in arts of GHMC and municipalities where it claims to enjoy good support. Jana Sena’s Telangana leaders say that Pawan Kalyan is keen to expand the party’s base in Telangana by entering the fray in municipal elections.

Elections to 118 municipalities and five corporations are likely to be held next month. GHMC, Khammam and Warangal corporations will go to the polls later.

The BJP has a strong vote bank in the GHMC, where it won 46 divisions in the 150-member body in the last elections. It also emerged as a formidable force in several major municipalities like Karimnagar, Nizamabad, and Warangal.

Both Jana Sena and BJP are partners in the ruling coalition headed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP has not yet announced if it will be contesting the municipal elections in Telangana. For the first time in the party’s history, it stayed away from the 2023 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.