BRS sets its eye on southern Odisha to expand party’s national footprint
The Hindu
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao meets former Odisha CM Giridhar Gomango and former Koraput MP Jayaram Pangi, invites them to join BRS
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), headed by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, appears to have set its eye on southern Odisha as part of the expansion of the party’s national footprint.
Mr. Rao recently met two prominent leaders of southern Odisha, including former Odisha Chief Minister Giridhar Gomango, explaining the BRS’ ideology to them, and the pace of development that Telangana has witnessed under his party’s rule.
Days after the Telangana CM invited Mr. Gomango and his son Shishir Gomango to Hyderabad, former Koraput Member of Parliament and an influential tribal leader, Jayaram Pangi, also met Mr. Rao.
Mr. Gomango and Mr. Pangi belong to Rayagada and Koraput districts, respectively, which have sizeable numbers of Telugu-speaking voters. The launch of its campaign in Odisha indicates the BRS hopes to find immediate acceptance among Telugu-speaking voters.
While Mr. Gomango and his son were still in the BJP, Mr. Pangi had quit BJP to form the Dandakaranya Parvatmala Vikash Parishad. Both leaders expressed their satisfaction over the meeting with Mr. Rao.
“I studied in Hyderabad in the early 1990s. When I had gone to Hyderabad last week to meet Mr. Rao, I failed recognise the city. It was hard to believe as to how fast a city can grow. The BRS chief invited us to join the party. We have not taken any decision as yet,” Mr. Shishir Gomango said.
“Oour fight is against ruling the Biju Janata Dal. The Congress is fast becoming a non-entity while the BJP has considerably lost its clout in the panchayat and urban local body polls. We have to start our fight from scratch from either Congress or BJP or BRS,” he said.
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