Hyderabad: The ruling Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is encountering major problems as it gears up for the upcoming assembly elections.
These issues could make it hard for the party to repeat its 2018 success. The party is facing internal conflicts, leaders leaving for other parties and growing frustration among the public.
The GHMC covers 24 assembly constituencies, with most of them currently held by BRS members. In the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, six constituencies have BRS MLAs, while the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency has all seven assembly constituencies represented by BRS members.
In the Chevella Lok Sabha constituency, four assembly constituencies are under BRS representation. Back in the 2014 elections, the BRS only secured two seats – Secunderabad and Malkajgiri.
During the municipal elections, the BRS struggled and had to team up with the Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (MIM) to win 56 seats. Also, four BJP corporators joined the BRS.
Recently, a senior party leader, Hanumanth Rao, left the party to join the Congress. In Uppal constituency, the party replaced B Subhash Reddy with B Lakshma Reddy as the candidate. The same happened in Khairatabad, where party corporator P Vijaya Reddy joined the Congress.
Another concern is that several party candidates who have already won before are facing growing unhappiness.
The announcement of candidates in various constituencies has also caused discontent among other aspiring candidates.
In places like Amberpet, Maheshwaram, LB Nagar, Jubilee Hills, and Patancheru, MLAs and central leaders are concerned. In 2018, many party leaders won thanks to the party’s popularity, but this time, the Congress is growing stronger, and the BJP is also a strong contender with its corporators.
Unlike the previous assembly elections where the BRS faced little opposition, the upcoming elections promise to be a tough battle. Party leaders now have to work hard to overcome these challenges and secure victory once again.
