Central Ministers boost BJP cadres ahead of NEC meet

Hyderabad: BJP National Executive Committee (NEC) members, including Union Ministers and former chief ministers of various states are visiting Assembly constituencies of Telangana to boost the party cadres for the next year's Assembly elections.

Ahead of the national executive meeting beginning in Hyderabad on Saturday, the leaders fanned out to various parts of the state to kick off the party's preparations for the next year's Assembly polls. They have urged the party cadres to strive hard to bring the party to power in the state.

During the two-day stay on Thursday and Friday, the leaders interacted with the local party cadres and leaders to understand the problems in each of the 119 Assembly constituencies. A party leader said the feedback collected through the exercise will be used to prepare the party's strategy for 2023 polls.

The central leaders discussed with the local leaders how to strengthen the party in Assembly constituencies. They advised the local leadership to reach out to the people and explain the schemes implemented by the Modi government at the Centre during the last eight years.

The BJP leaders also advised the party cadres to highlight the failures of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government in the state and its attempts to project the schemes of the Central government as its own schemes.

The leaders during their visit to the Assembly constituencies in districts stayed at the homes of party cadres and dined with them.

Central ministers Kiran Rejiju and Anurag Singh Thakur visited Assembly constituencies around Hyderabad to interact with the local party leaders and cadres. They exuded confidence that the BJP will come to power in the state whenever the elections are held.

Addressing a party meeting in Mallapur housing board colony in Hyderabad, former chief minister of Jharkhand Raghubar Das said the people of Telangana no longer trust Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Swatandra Dev Singh, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, central ministers Giriraj Singh, Nityanand Rai, Union minister of state B.L. Varma were among the key leaders who visited various Assembly constituencies in Hyderabad.

Union minister of state for rural development and steel Faggan Singh Kulaste visited Nizamabad district. He said every BJP worker should work hard to bring the party to power in the state.

Union minister of state for defence and tourism Ajay Bhatt visited Armoor constituency and interacted with the party workers and leaders. He said that providing corruption-free governance is the aim of the party.

Former Chief Minister of Tripura, Biplab Kumar Deb visited Adilabad. He said the BJP would question all undemocratic actions of the TRS government.

BJP could win just one Assembly seat in Telangana in the 2018 elections. However, the party surprised everyone by capturing four Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

The saffron party also wrested two Assembly seats (Dubbak and Huzurabad) in the by-elections held in 2020 and 2021. Its performance was also impressive in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections in 2020 as it improved its tally in the 150-member body to 48, a big jump from the mere four seats it had earlier.

The BJP, which is going aggressive in attacking the TRS government, sees itself as the only viable alternative to the TRS. The party's state leaders are confident that Telangana will become the party's second gateway to south India after Karnataka.