The BJP is gearing up to set into motion its 'mission Telangana'. The party will hold its national executive meeting in Hyderabad in July, its first such meeting outside Delhi in five years.
The party's focus on Telangana is part of its plan to expand its footprint in south India. In Telangana, the BJP is aggressively trying to take on Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who has been making efforts to cobble up an anti-BJP alliance at the national level.
Telangana assembly polls are scheduled for 2023. The saffron party's increased focus on the state became clear when it decided to send former state party chief K. Laxman to Rajya Sabha. As BJP doesn't have numbers in Telangana, Laxman is being sent to the upper house from Uttar Pradesh. The party currently has four MPs in Lok Sabha from Telangana, and three MLAs in the state assembly. During the Lok Sabha elections, the party had got 19 per cent of the vote share, while in assembly its vote share is over seven per cent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party chief J.P. Nadda, all cabinet ministers, party chief ministers, deputy CMs, and office bearers will participate in the two-day national executive, starting from July 2. The meeting in Hyderabad also comes ahead of the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, later this year.
At the national executive meeting, the party is expected to hold discussions on upcoming assembly elections in 2022 and 2023, and Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
BJP's Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar has already organised padyatra in the state, and is expected to hold a similar event after the national executive.
The last time the BJP held its national executive meeting in Hyderabad was in January 2004, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister and Venkaiah Naidu was the party president. The BJP was riding on the assembly polls victories in Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh then, and the main agenda for the meeting was 2004 general elections.
A lot has changed since then; the party has grown in numbers and strength. At the national executive, the BJP is expected to adopt resolutions on national security and governance. It is also expected to discuss other national developments related to cultural issues.
