KCR assures Maha BRS leaders of positive response

Hyderabad: Finally, the Maharashtra leaders get a call from BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao and also an assurance of taking a positive decision on foraying into politics in Maharashtra in the wake of the Assembly elections scheduled in three months.

With the Assembly elections slated to be held soon in Maharashtra, the BRS leaders in the State were knocking on the doors of the party leadership in Telangana about their plans to contest the elections. There were doubts about whether the party would contest the elections or not.

The Hans India had written about the Maharashtra leaders knocking on the doors of the BRS chief. KCR called the Maharashtra leaders for a meeting at his farmhouse on July 3. The Maharashtra leaders, led by senior Shankar Anna Dhondge, have met KCR for over an hour. Dhondge said KCR had called them to his farmhouse and gave a positive response to contesting the elections.

“The party president has asked us to be ready, as there will be a positive response. He has told us that he would call again within a week or 10 days and hold a detailed discussion on the way forward,” said Dhondge.

The BRS chief was keen on pan-India expansion after Telangana. However, the plans failed after the party's defeat in the 2023 Assembly elections. It was expected that the BRS may take on the two national parties in Telangana and Maharashtra, but KCR decided not to contest the election even after requests from the State unit from the neighbouring State. Dejected by the party’s stand, some leaders left the party before the Lok Sabha elections. With the Assembly elections due in three to four months, the Maharashtra leaders wanted the party to take a decision. The last time they met KCR was during his Nizamabad tour as part of his bus yatra in May.

The party had taken up a membership drive in Maharashtra before the Lok Sabha elections and enrolled about 19 lakh members, including 16 lakh online. Party leaders said there was good scope for the party in Maharashtra. There is big scope for the party there in the present political scenario; if BRS contests in Maharashtra, no party will form government without the support of BRS, a party leader said.