Election blueprint: BRS eyes 100 seats, plans to breach 3 BJP forts

HYDERABAD: As it is eyeing success in a hundred seats in the upcoming assembly elections and score a hat-trick of wins, BRS party’s focus, however, is on Goshamahal, Dubbak and Huzurabad which it considers the most significant constituencies in the state. The three segments are represented by BJP MLAs.
BRS had lost Dubbak and Huzurabad in bypolls which was a big embarrassment to the party.

Sources in the party said BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao is firm on winning the three seats and has asked the party leaders to leave no stone unturned to wrest the seats from the saffron party.
“For BRS, every single seat is important. But, our focus is on assembly segments being represented by important opposition leaders. In the three seats held by BJP, we are going to win with a comfortable majority,” a BRS senior leader said.
Goshamahal, represented by BJP’s T Raja Singh, has become a major headache for BRS and to police and government thanks to the MLA’s fiery speeches and aggressive pro-Hindutva agenda. Raja Singh, who was arrested by police under the PD Act a few months ago for his alleged hate speech and suspended by BJP, continues to be much in news with Maharashtra police registering a case against him last month for an alleged hate speech at Hindu Sakal Samaj Morcha.
BRS appointed Nanda Kishore Vyas as party Goshamahal assembly in-charge, who is most likely to take on Raja Singh in the elections in the later half of the year.
In 2018, Prem Singh Rathore was fielded by BRS against Raja Singh and secured 44,000 votes. In 2014, Prem Kumar Dhoot entered the fray on a BRS (then TRS) ticket. Both had lost the elections against Raja Singh.
Huzurabad is another key constituency which BRS is keen and wants to win desperately. Former minister Eatala Rajender, who won in the 2021 by-election after quitting as an MLA, is sitting pretty and sources said BRS leadership has asked MLC Padi Kaushik Reddy to get ready to contest from Huzurabad in the coming election.
BRS student wing state president Gellu Srinivas Yadav, who contested against Eatala in the bypoll, has been made chairman of Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation and may not get a chance to contest in the assembly elections.
Sources said Dubbak where BJP’s M Raghunandan Rao had won in the bypolls held in 2020 is also going to witness a highprofile election.
KCR is believed to have asked Medak MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy to go around the constituency and begin groundwork. In all likelihood, Reddy will be fielded against Raghunandan Rao and KCR is set to contest from Medak Lok Sabha seat in 2024 general elections.