Hyderabad: After BJP's surprise win in Dubakka by-poll elections, the party's central leadership is giving top priority to make inroads to Telangana by capturing the Greater Hyderabad Corporation (GHMC) elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has chalked out a strategy and the party is planning to expand its wings in the state.
The party will be contesting 150 seats in the upcoming GHMC elections on seats having strategic importance. BJP is planning to expand its base in the southern regions of the country following the strategy of 'Parliament to Panchayat'.
The saffron party believes that around 74 lakh voters in GHMC will pave its way for the two most prominent Telugu speaking states in the country -- Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The GHMC elections are slated to be held on December 1 and BJP's national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav has been made in-charge of the party's campaigning for the civic body polls.
Yadav also led the election campaigns in the recently-concluded Bihar Assembly elections in which BJP bagged 74 seats. Bupendra Yadav successfully led the campaigns in Bihar and is known for his aggressive electoral strategies.
READ: 'Divisive forces' trying to enter Hyderabad: KCR
Bhupendra Yadav is now keenly focussing on Telangana, interacting with the party workers and is working relentlessly to capture the Hyderabad metropolitan body by the next general elections.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Yadav said, "All the senior party leaders are working to chalk out strategies and BJP is serious about every election. Senior party leaders are canvassing for the candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir elections. We give equal weightage to the local, state and Central elections."
Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy has also been given the responsibility of the GHMC polls and all the arrangements are being looked after by the top party brass.
On Friday, BJP President JP Nadda organised roadshows on significant seats and it is probably for the first time that veteran and senior party leaders will be actively participating in the local body elections. BJP, which only has Karnataka in its list of southern states, is now in a mood to test the electoral waters.
The party sees an opportunity in capturing Hyderabad which has 52 and 44 percent of Hindu and minority votes respectively. According to political observers, BJP is giving its best to expand its base in Telangana.
READ: BJP Telangana MP warns Owaisi of consequences
The party wants to send a message that it is working hard to make its way even in southern states and feel that such grassroots level work will benefit it in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2023 Vidhan Sabha elections.
The saffron party had won 297 out of 853 seats in the Odisha district level elections, emerging as the biggest opposition party in the state in 2017 following the roadmap designed by Amit Shah. The party had then fielded heavyweights and popular faces which helped the party to increase its footprints in the state.
