BRS cadre in Telangana anxious as local body elections loom
HYDERABAD: Once considered firmly entrenched, the BRS cadre and second-rung leaders are getting increasingly anxious over the approaching local body elections, expected next month.
These elections are being seen as crucial not merely for local control but for the pink party's wider ambitions to regroup and mount a credible bid to regain power in the next Assembly elections.
Understandably, discussions at village- and mandal-level invariably veer towards the growing anxiety among BRS cadre and second-rung leaders about the organisation's preparedness, or lack thereof, to face voters.
With the top BRS leaders facing inquiries and investigations into allegations of irregularities regarding the Kaleshwaram project and the Formula E race, the cadre and second-rung leaders have been hoping that former MLAs would step up and anchor the party.
However, several former MLAs remain conspicuously missing from the public eye, and aspirants for the local body seats express unease over the absence of financial and organisational backing from the leadership. Doubts loom large over who will bankroll the campaign or lead the electoral effort at the ground level.
In Greater Hyderabad and surrounding constituencies, the BRS had won a clear majority in the last Assembly elections. Yet, in rural areas, once considered the party's stronghold, the mood has turned uncertain.
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