The central leadership of the BJP sprang a surprise on Wednesday by naming Member of Parliament (MP) from Karimnagar, Bandi Sanjay, as the Telangana state president of the party.
Sanjay (48) is a first time MP who had contested unsuccessfully in two Assembly elections in the past. He was chosen for the top post bypassing experienced leaders and some high-profile names who had recently joined the saffron party. What seemed to have worked in Sanjay’s favour is the strong backing by the RSS.
Not one to shy away from wearing the Hindutva ideology on his sleeve, Sanjay had amassed a lot of young followers in the last few years with his aggressive stand on communal and anti-government issues. One of the most popular photos of Sanjay is from 1992 when he, as a young kar sevak, travelled to Ayodhya. He was also an active right-wing student leader and went on to become a municipal corporator in Karimnagar. He was known to have a strong bond with the party grassroots. For someone who has not won a major election till last year and has negligible influence outside his district, this has to be a big elevation.
“He was not the first choice. There was a former minister in the race but her name was dropped as she served in a different party for a long time. A few other names were also considered but it was felt that they lacked honesty and grit to take on the ruling TRS party. Finally, Sanjay was finalised as he has a clean image and is an aggressive leader who is not known to compromise on ideals,” said a source in the BJP.
It is learnt that the party leadership also wanted to send out a message that services of dedicated party workers will be recognised.
In the last parliament elections, Sanjay trounced sitting TRS MP, Vinod, considered close to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. The victory of more than 80,000 votes margin did not come easily as there was a communal build-up in the run up to the elections. He was widely supported by youngsters of the constituency turning him into a mass leader. Many of the local devout Hindus in Karimnagar have a soft spot for Sanjay as he raised funds and single-handedly built a temple. Apart from that, wherever there is a communal flare-up Sanjay is known to be vocal while airing his views without being politically correct.
“He is one of the few BJP leaders who will not think twice before getting on to the streets with party workers. He reacted strongly when a communal riot took place in Bhainsa. He stood for the victims and demanded justice. The mood among BJP workers is that he is the right choice,” said K. Ranjith. a BJP worker from Hyderabad.
Sanjay hails from a BC community which has a significant population in the state. This could be another reason for finalising his name. Unlike his predecessors, Sanjay’s approach towards the ruling TRS party might be different. In the past, the TRS and the BJP were considered to have cordial relations and secret understanding owing to a common powerful enemy—the Congress. However, it is a thing of the past as according to party sources, the Karimnagar MP has been empowered to take on the ruling party head-on.
In the past, Sanjay had participated in a number of protests against the policies and decisions of the state government. Two years back, when he was holding the post of party spokesperson, he raised the issue of torture of dalits who allegedly opposed illegal sand mining. The issue got a lot of attention and put the state government in a tight spot. On the day his name was announced as state president, Sanjay warned the chief minister as he was upset with the police action against ABVP students outside the state Assembly during a protest.
Sanjay's supporters set off firecrackers in the streets of Karimnagar on Wednesday, but the sparks may fly across the state in the coming days.