Beginning of BJP era in Telangana

Buoyed by his party's surprise wins in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana, state BJP president K Laxman Friday said it would emerge as the viable alternative to the ruling TRS and form the government after the next Assembly elections.

"This is the beginning of BJP era in Telangana. Now, the downfall of TRS has begun. BJP alone can take on TRS. That is the public mandate in Telangana. The state is no exception to the Modi wave. The entire nation's mood was in favour of Modi," he told PTI here.

He was responding to a question on BJP's success in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana and the reasons for it.

BJP, which lost deposit in 100 of the total 117 segments in the Assembly polls held in December, 2018, pulled off surprising results in the Lok Sabha elections, winning four seats (Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Secunderabad).

BJP nominee D Aravind emerged a giant-killer trouncing sitting TRS MP and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha in Nizamabad.

The main opposition Congress is "finished" in the state and BJP would emerge as the viable alternative to TRS, Laxman claimed.

"We are viable alternative to TRS in Telangana. Congress is finished throughout the country. The people who got elected in Telangana also (to Assembly on Congress ticket in December, 2019), they started joining TRS. So, people have lost faith in Congress. BJP alone can fight TRS, the corrupt, family rule, dictatorial rule (of TRS)," he said.

BJP chief Amit Shah is also focusing on the party's growth in Telangana, he added.

"Telangana is the gateway for south India, after Karnataka. BJP has got fertile political space in Telangana," he said.

Laxman said the results did not come as a surprise to the party as it expected "Modi wave" to prevail in Telangana in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Assembly polls were held for the state, while the question of who should be Prime Minister dominated voters' choice in Lok Sabha elections, he said.

It is for the first time in history that BJP got four Lok Sabha seats in Telangana on its own, he said.

The party has secured about 20 per cent vote share.

It was leading in about 30 Assembly seats in the Lok Sabha polls, improving its performance since the Assembly polls four months ago.

BJP would grow in Telangana the way it did in West Bengal, he said.

"Politics similar to Bengal is going on in Telangana. Our Chief Minister is a dictator... cases have been booked against our cadre.Similarly, it happened in Bengal. Our cadre has faced it. We will also face here. Definitely, with the support of Modiji and Amit Shah, we will not only become a viable alternative, principal opposition here, next assembly elections, we are going to form government here," Laxman said.

BJP's performance came as a surprise as the ruling TRS was aiming to win 16 of the total 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, close on the heels of its massive victory in the Assembly polls.

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Exit polls predicted TRS to win at least 13-14 LS seats.

According to some political analysts, the BJP managed to win Adilabad (bordering Maharashtra), Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Secunderabad in view of the party's emphasis on "hyper-nationalism and aggressive Hindutva" and Modi's popularity as a decisive leader.