Rama Krishna Sangem
Finally, N Ramachander Rao, former MLC, has been chosen as the president of Tekabgana unit of BJP. This brings curtains on almost six months long suspense over the post. The selection can be said to a blow to another strong contender to the post – Malkajgiri MP Etela Rajender – who is also a former minister in the previous TRS government.
Ramachander belongs to Brahmin community, while Etela hails from Mudiraj community, a predominant BC caste. We, at Excel India, have long ago, predicted that the competition for BJP state post would be mainly between the two. Ramachander who lost Malkajgiri assembly seat in 2023 elections was made in charge of BJP membership enrollment drive in Telangana.
Ramachander, an ABVP leader rose in the ranks of BJP over the years and got tickets for many electoral contests to both the legislature and parliament. A lawyer by profession, Ramachander is an insider and has good relations with many RSS and BJP leaders. But, he lost hopes of becoming the state president post at one stage as the national leadership favoured Etela.
Opposition to Etela
At one stage, Etela appeared to be sure choice of the BJP top brass. BJP in 2023 assembly elections promised to make a BC the CM, if the party wins majority. Moreover, BJP leaders wanted to name a BC for the state unit leadership as Congress has appointed a BC person as PCC president. Moreover the caste census issue too assumed significance in recent time prompting prominent position to BCs.
However, a section of Telangana senior BJP leaders mainly union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay have strongly opposed Etela being made the BJP state president. At one state Sanjay too was in the race to the post, but later he dropped out in view of other considerations – he has to exit from the union council of ministers That takes some time.
Meanwhile, this section opposed to Etela used his deposition before the Justice PC Ghosh commission on the Kaleswaram irrigation project fiasco to project him as sympathetic of the previous BRS government. Etela told the commission that the project had all the approvals of the then cabinet and the cabinet sub-committee. This line of argument runs against to the stand taken by the BJP all along that former CM KCR had resorted to massive irregularities and made lot of money out of it.
So, the BJP national leadership weighed on two considerations – to keep a majority of old guards happy for now and to see that unity in the state unit is preserved, by the selection of Ramachander. It’s not yet known what role Etela would be offered now. There are chances that he can be taken into the Union Cabinet, but that will take some time.
