The two major national parties in the country, the Congress and the BJP, are grappling with the challenge of fielding candidates across all constituencies in Telangana. Despite their longstanding presence in politics, both parties face criticism for their inability to cultivate strong leaders in every region.
Recent developments highlight the reliance of these parties on influential figures from regional parties (BRS) for the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Lacking suitable candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections, both Congress and BJP are actively courting key leaders from BRS. This includes the absorption of five sitting MPs. While the BRS sitting MPs BB Patil and Pothuganti Ramulu have joined the BJP, Ranjith Reddy, Pasunoori Dayakar, and Venkatesh Netha have defected to the Congress.
Of the 15 candidates announced by the BJP, seven have former ties with the BRS. Noteworthy among them are Eatala Rajender, Boora Narsaiah Goud, Godam Nagesh, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, BB Patil, Prof. Seetharam Naik, Saidireddy, and Raghunandan Rao, who have all transitioned from BRS to BJP. Similarly, Congress has also awarded tickets to individuals like Ranjith Reddy, Danam Nagender, and Sunitha Mahender Reddy, who have recently joined the party from BRS.
This reliance on BRS leaders has sparked discussion, as it underscores the challenge faced by the two major national parties in identifying suitable candidates despite their extensive political histories.