Is Telangana BJP contemplating revoking MLA Raja Singh's suspension?

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is seemingly contemplating revoking the suspension of its Telangana MLA T Raja Singh. The move comes as the party is seeking a face to take on the K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi government just months ahead of the crucial legislative Assembly polls in the state.

Senior leaders in the saffron unit feel that a strong Hindutva face like the Goshamahal MLA, Singh, can help the party achieve success in the southern state.

The revocation of Singh’s suspension can come soon. 

Party sources stated that he has been the face of the saffron front in Telangana for the past several years and can help the BJP secure the votes of the Hindu population. 

“We are discussing the matter of revocation of Singh’s suspension, which will soon be revoked. Ultimately the party high command will take the call. The suspension was done back in the day as a policy decision and will be reviewed at the right time,” a senior party leader said.

Raja Singh was suspended from the party after his controversial comments last year. 

“A section of the party feels that the suspension of Singh could have been avoided and is being seen by the local cadre as a knee-jerk reaction. Bringing him back to the mainstream state politics will help the BJP in the long run,” sources added.

Raja Singh is known for his stance on ‘love jihad’ and has asked Hindus to stay away from the Muslim community. Though currently out on bail, the suspended BJP leader has been triggering controversies with his speeches, including his recent statements in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

With the BJP recently losing its southern bastion of Karnataka, the saffron unit is desperate to make inroads into Telangana and regain some lost ground. The BJP hopes that it can utilize Raja Singh to make significant gains in Telangana and it could help ensure more seats for the saffron unit in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the southern state.

BJP’s Plan in Telangana

In Telangana, over the past few years, the BJP has been trying to emerge as the leading opposition party with an aim to sideline KCR. With the KCR government facing severe anti-incumbency and allegations of corruption, the BJP feels that it can emerge stronger in the next Assembly polls and also replicate it in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

With the Legislative Assembly polls in Telangana just months away, the BJP is expected to use a strong Hindutva pitch and make a case against the dynastic rule being practised by KCR.

The BJP is playing its cards strategically to emerge as a serious contender in the battle for 119-member Legislative Assembly scheduled for later this year. The party is also seemingly trying to nudge YSR Congress Party chief Jaganmohan Reddy to back his sister YS Sharmila to field YSR Telangana Party candidates in the forthcoming elections and ensure a four-cornered contest.

The saffron unit feels that Sharmila can help ensure a split in KCR’s vote base. She is expected to appeal to the Telugu pride of the state's voters and also underline her connection with the former Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh and her father YRS Reddy for securing their votes.

On the other hand, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu seems all set to renew his ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after dumping it five years ago in 2018.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a third term in 2024, the saffron party feels that it has its best chance to expand its southern footprint in Telangana. Apart from Karnataka, the BJP has only been able to make inroads in Telangana.

The importance that the BJP attaches to securing a victory in Telangana can be gauged from the fact that the saffron party held its national executive in July last year in Hyderabad.

The BJP has been eyeing expansion in South India ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and with 17 Lok Sabha seats, Telangana is an important part of the plan to secure additional seats. In 2019 the BJP was able to secure four Lok Sabha seats from Telangana, which it wants to at least double in 2024. The BJP has set a target of winning 100 seats in Lok Sabha from the five southern states of the country.