Karimnagar: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) finds itself in a tough political spot ahead of the Teacher MLC elections in Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, and Adilabad. In a surprising move, the party has decided not to field a candidate, sparking confusion and debate within its ranks who are unable to understand ex-CM KCR’s strategy for not fielding a BRS candidate.

The question of why the party is not contesting the MLC elections in the districts represented by party chief KCR and other leaders KTR, Harish Rao, Kavitha, and former ministers Gangula Kamalakar and Vemula Prashanth Reddy is haunting party ranks.

Former Mayor of Karimnagar and former Chairman of Telangana Civil Supply Corporation Sardar Ravinder Singh is hoping that the party would field a direct candidate this time. Moreover, former IMA President DrBNRao and former TRASMA President Yadagiri Shekhar Rao prepared for the contest and also started campaigning by meeting graduates.

But their hopes were dashed when party leaders said that BRS was not planning to contest and that it would be better not to campaign. However, while former Shekhar Rao is campaigning as an independent, Ravinder Singh is also ready to contest as an independent.

It seems that the reason for staying away from the contest is that the anger of graduates and teachers against the party has not subsided even after a year since the BRS lost power. It is reported that the decision not to contest was taken based on the feedback received from these sections.

It is known that during the ten-year BRS rule, negligence in government job recruitment, leakage of Group 1and other job recruitment examination papers has led the party to face allegations of irregularities. Also, the leaders of the teachers’ unions are recalling the incidents of arbitrary transfer of teachers under GO317 not giving promotions even once in ten years, and late payment of salaries as the reasons.

In this context, it is learnt that the top leaders of BRS feel that it is better not to contest for the graduate and teacher MLC seats. Moreover, if they lose in this one election, the impact on the local body elections is also being spread among the party leaders.

Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that the ministers who participated in the nomination of Alphores Narender Reddy criticised that the people rejected BRS, and that the BRS candidate was not fielded due to secret understanding with the BJP.

Notably, BRS did not contest the Karimnagar Graduate MLC elections held in 2019. In that election, the Group Officers Association supported State President Mamilla Chandrasekhar Goud when he stood in the contest. But then Congress candidate Jeevan Reddy won.