At least 40% of the sitting MPs of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) have refused to contest on the party ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In many of the 17 parliamentary constituencies in the state, the party is struggling to find suitable candidates due to a high rejection rate. For a party led by what seemed like the invincible KCR (K. Chandrashekar Rao), the downfall was rapid, sudden, and harsh.
The candidates convinced of the party's certain defeat are going against the leadership. One such example is the Chevella parliamentary constituency, which covers new growth areas near Hyderabad. The sitting BRS MP, Ranjith Reddy, is reported to have turned down the ticket this time. Soon after, there were speculations that he might join the BJP camp first, and later, the Congress. The BRS then offered the ticket to three other leaders, all of whom turned down the offer. The party finally settled for Kasani Gnaneshwar, who recently shifted from the TDP.
In Peddapalli, the party's MP, Venkatesh Netha, moved to the Congress. In Zaheerabad and Nagarkurnool, the parliamentarians, B.B. Patil and P. Ramulu, who won on the BRS ticket in 2019, joined the BJP, prompting the BRS to form a tie-up with BSP to outsource a seat, unable to find candidates for certain seats. As per estimates based on surveys and ground reports, the BRS may win 0-2 seats this time, a far cry from their last performance when the party won nine seats. The party was earlier banking on Hyderabad-based seats and Medak, the home turf of KCR, but the BJP seems to be making strong inroads in these constituencies.
In the Malkajgiri parliamentary constituency, which covers a part of greater Hyderabad that had given the BRS maximum seats, the party had a bitter experience. The candidature of Bhadra Reddy, son of former minister and MLA Malla Reddy, was almost finalized. A few weeks ago, publicity material promoting his candidature was found on the streets. However, he is learnt to have backed out from contesting. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the father-son duo met Congress leaders and are planning to switch allegiances soon.
In Nizamabad, the BRS's condition is even worse. In August last year, K. Kavitha, daughter of KCR, announced that she would contest from Nizamabad, a segment she represented from 2014 to 2019. Not only that, she challenged her opponent, BJP MP D. Aravind, saying she would defeat him. In the fresh list announced by the BRS, her name is absent as another senior leader, Bajireddy Govardhan, has been nominated from Nizamabad. According to sources, the internal surveys of the party showed that Kavitha would face a huge setback if she contests, which would also impact the party’s future.
However, this move has further strengthened the argument that in these elections, the major fight is between the Congress and the BJP, relegating the BRS to an insignificant corner.