Rama Krishna Sangem
Thakur Raja Singh, Ghosha Mahal MLA is now almost out of the BJP. After BJP national president JP Nadda accepted his resignation letter on July 11, Friday, the fate of Raja Singh hangs in balance. In fact, Singh hasn’t expected that his resignation would be accepted by the party national leadership so easily. He thought that the party bosses in Delhi would call and persuade him to continue in the party. Singh’s formal quitting of BJP is due.
But, that hasn’t happened. Nadda accepting his resignation is a sort of sealing his fatge in BJP, at least for now. Singh sent his resignation as MLA to then Telangana party president Kishan Reddy as he was denied to file nomination for the post of state president on June 30. BJP high command has decided to give the post to N Ramachander Rao and they wanted the election to be unanimous. This is the style of BJP’s organizational elections in the country. Telangana is no different.
But, Raja Singh, a three time MLA from Ghosha Mahal, tucked in the Old city of Hyderabad, has bigger ambitions. He aspired to become the state party president, or at least to contest to the post. Earlier, he wanted to be BJP’s 8 member legislature party leader in the assembly. That too didn’t come true. Somewhat junior entrant Maheshwar Reddy was made the legislature party leader. Singh, known for his strong Hindutwa politics in Muslim dominated Old city often goes into sulking for not getting enough space and scope within BJP.
3 options for him now
Born in 1977, now 48 years old, Raja Singh began his political career in 2009 with TDP and began as a corporator in GHMC, from Mangalhat division. Later, he joined BJP and became Ghosha Mahal MLA in 2014. Later he won from the seat in 2018 and ’23. He was suspended from BJP for his virulent anti-Islamic comments in 2022 August but was taken back into the party just before 2023 assembly elections.in October. He belongs to North Indian origin community of Lodhas of Hyderabad.
Raja Singh’s first option is to face the by-election to the assembly from the same seat either on BRS, which appears to be ready to give him the seat if he joins their party. Or he may take the support of Congress – directly by joining the party or joining Shiv Sena of UBT, which is an ally of Congress. If Sena UBT gives him the ticket, then Congress may not field its candidate but back him. Third option is to avoid the by-poll and dodge the BJP’s attempts to disqualify him through the speaker.
Of course, Assembly Speaker G Prasar Kumar is a Congress man and would not act on the BJP’s petition to disqualify anytime soon. As of now, Singh is a sort of shock and is yet to come up with his future plans. Right now he is on a pilgrimage in the North India, Singh is expected to hold meetings with his supporters soon to come to a view. BJP state leaders told Excel India that they were fed up with Singh’s tantrums on and off and that they are ready to take whatever happens in Ghosha Mahal’s.electoral battle.
