Telangana seems to figure in the BJP’s scheme of things at least as far as the next general election and the prime ministerial candidate are concerned, and the party is already eyeing post-poll, if not pre-poll, alliances towards that goal.
The party’s national leaders, who are making frequent visits to the state, are not talking of pre-poll tie-ups but of post-poll alliances.
According to BJP leaders, southern India sends 145 members to the Lok Sabha but the major opposition party is not in a position to expect to win seats from any state in the region other than Karnataka. That explains the special attention they are paying to Telangana with the promise of statehood if the NDA comes to power at the Centre. Thus it hopes to win Telanganites’ goodwill and win a few seats which might prove crucial in forming government at the Centre.
Party leaders believe that a strong prime ministerial candidate can swing the votes in favour of the BJP and its allies all over the country, Telangana being exception. Such a prospect will make the TRS also to shed it belligerence and support the BJP at the national level, they feel and recall that after the 2009 elections in Telangana, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao openly supported the NDA by participating the Ludhiana public meeting which was addressed by the then prime ministerial candidate LK Advani.
That BJP leaders favour adopting the 2009 strategy in Andhra Pradesh became evident from party president Nitin Gadkari flagging off state president Kishan’s Telangana Poru Yatra and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh participating in the concluding programme.