Lobbying for MP tickets in BJP begins as cadre cry foul
The Hindu
With a new Congress government in place in Telangana, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which aimed to become an alternative to the Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi, is getting ready for Parliament elections.
With a new Congress government in place in Telangana, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which aimed to become an alternative to the Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and managed to win eight seats is getting ready for Parliament elections.
Leaders, who had shied away from contesting the Assembly elections, have begun gathering support to get the party ticket. Even those who had lost lost are aiming to get the official nod once again with the hope of change in fortunes next year.
While the leadership has shrugged away the defeat here pointing to the doubling the vote percentage and winning three other states in the north, there is seething anger among the second rung leaders and cadre over the lack of accountability with no effort do any post-mortem.
With party president and Union Minister G.Kishan Reddy busy in Parliament, the once bustling party office sees little activity these days. The top Central leaders, who have camped here for the last couple of months, have quietly moved out post the results.
Partymen have taken to social media to vent their frustration, targeting top leaders accusing them of ignoring sincere and hardworking persons in favour of those with money bags. Allegations include that they had indirectly supported their own extended family members or candidates of their own community against the party’s official candidates ditching them in the process.
Though the party has won from unexpected constituencies and Kamareddy candidate K. Venkatramana Reddy had defeated BRS boss K.Chandrasekhar Rao and Congress president A.Revanth Reddy, the loss of high profile leaders like national general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar, campaign committee chairman Eatala Rajender, Nizamabad MP D.Aravind and others has come as a shock.
More difficult to digest was the fact that it was unable to win a single seat in its supposed stronghold in the capital and suburbs where BRS won decisively, in sharp contrast to the situation in rest of the State. The party candidates came second in 19 constituencies, secured deposits in 40 and lost deposits in 32 constituencies across Telangana.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.