Poll alliances crimp BJP growth

The national party fails to put up a good show in Telangana State due to various reasons

Hyderabad: Political alliances and adjustments in Telangana have been haunting BJP with party leaders feeling that by playing second fiddle to others, BJP's potential to emerge as a major political force in the State has taken a severe beating.

Though a national party, BJP's presence in the State has been limited to some urban pockets. The party has nothing great to boast about when it comes to election results, going by its performance during the last three elections (even in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh).

The reason being attributed by party leaders is that electoral alliances had in fact restricted the party's growth in Telangana. When BJP started its journey, it bagged two Lok Sabha seats one in Gujarat and the second from Telangana region in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

The best performance of the party because of an alliance in the State (erstwhile Andhra Pradesh) has been seven Lok Sabha seats (four from Telangana and three from Andhra Pradesh) and 12 Assembly seats in the 1999 elections.

Since then the journey of the party in the State has not been very encouraging. The party's graph has gone down ever since. It could get only two seats in 2004 and five in the 2009 assembly elections and it managed to get five seats and one Lok Sabha seat in Telangana in 1999 in Hyderabad.

Leaders in the party said that they had expected a good show during the 2014 elections as the party had supported the cause of statehood to Telangana. However, they said that the alliance with Telugu Desam had hampered their chances in rural areas.

Leaders said if the party went on its own in the elections, it can fetch good results as there would be nothing to lose for the party. Leaders from rural areas argued that TDP is treated as anti-Telangana party and going for an alliance with it would be detrimental for the party in the future.

Party MLC N Ramchander Rao said that several party men felt that the alliance with TDP was not helping BJP. "In a national party, the decisions are prerogative of the central leaders and there are several factors to determine an alliance," said Rao.

As far as the reports on alliance with ruling party in Telangana, the TRS has been playing a mind game to stop BJP from growing in the State, he said and denied there were any talks between BJP and TRS.

Senior BJP leader Y Lakshminarayana said electoral alliances for the party have indeed proved to be a barrier for the growth of the party. "I personally feel that these alliances are the barriers for the party to grow. There is an opportunity for the party to grow in every Assembly constituency if the party goes it alone," said Lakshminarayana.

He said that the party would analyse the results of GHMC elections and decide future course of action. There is a good opportunity to grow if we can capitalise on the works done by the BJP-led NDA government and expose the failures of TRS government, he added.