Hyderabad:
The decline of Congress and TDP, anti-incumbency towards the TRS government, the aggressive stance of BJP leaders against alleged appeasement politics of TRS are some factors that helped BJP make substantial gains in the Hyderabad civic polls, according to political analysts. BJP emerged as the principal challenger to the ruling TRS in Telangana after its impressive show in the just-concluded Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections.
The saffron party bagged 48 out of 149 wards (the result of one ward not declared due to a legal issue) in the polls, a sharp rise from the four it had won in 2016. The TRS secured 55 wards, a major dip from its 2016 tally of 99, though it emerged as the single largest party.
The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM bagged 44, retaining its hold in the old city of Hyderabad, while the Congress could win only two wards. The TDP, once a major force, drew a blank.
Among the major factors that helped BJP grow and contributed to fall in TRS’ numbers are the “collapse” of Congress and TDP, anti-incumbency towards the TRS government, accentuated following recent heavy rains and flooding and the “aggressive Hindutva agenda” of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and other party leaders, feels noted political analyst Telakapalli Ravi. BJP is filling the vacuum created by the “collapse” of Congress and TDP, both formidable forces during undivided Andhra Pradesh, he said.
The poor performance of Congress was of its own making as it faces “internal struggles” and the party may not firm up in Telangana unless the leadership issue at the top is settled, he said. “BJP is replacing Congress in Telangana as it happened in West Bengal,” he said.
TDP has found itself marginalised after a number of party leaders switched over to TRS over the last several years, Ravi said and noted that party chief N Chandrababu Naidu did not campaign in the GHMC polls. Recalling TRS winning 99 out of the 150 wards in the 2016 GHMC polls, he opined that voters had then sought to have peace in the city following bifurcation of the state in 2014.
He claimed that “religious polarization” was seen this time which did not exist in 2016 though “regionalism” was in play then. The “polarization” involves controversies witnessed in the poll campaign over comments of Sanjay Kumar that the BJP would, if necessary, carry out “surgical strikes” in the old city to send away Rohingyas and Pakistanis and AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi asking whether the authorities can remove the samadhis of late P V Narasimha Rao and N T Rama Rao.
The BJP also accused TRS of indulging in “appeasement politics” and having an unholy alliance with the AIMIM. Though BJP is now in a position to make further gains in the state, it is still a long road ahead for the party before the 2023 Assembly elections, Ravi said.
He described the GHMC polls results as a “mid-term warning” for TRS. Another prominent political analyst K Nageshwar, who is a former MLC and a journalism professor, said the weakening of Congress and TDP, lack of coordination among TRS leaders and the impact of BJP leader Sanjay Kumar’s comments were among factors that helped the saffron party.
The BJP’s campaign against the alleged high-handed style of functioning of AIMIM leaders and the “unholy alliance” between TRS and AIMIM found traction among certain sections of the electorate, he said. The “mismanagement” of the flood-situation and relief work reflected against the TRS government, Nageshwar said.
The anti-incumbency against TRS corporators in the city over charges of corruption also worked against TRS, he said. The opposition to the Layout Regularization Scheme (LRS), halting of property registrations over the introduction of ‘Dharani’ portal, the alleged absence of decentralization of powers and dissatisfaction among government employees and the unemployed were other factors that went against the TRS and helped the BJP, Nageshwar added.
