“Eatala Rajender in the Spotlight for Telangana BJP Top Post”

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP MP Eatala Rajender, previously an aspirant for a Union Cabinet position, is likely to be appointed as the President of the party’s state unit. Rajender, elected to the Lok Sabha from the Malkajgiri constituency in the recent elections, has been summoned to New Delhi by the party leadership. He is expected to meet Union Minister and top party leader Amit Shah later today.

Current state BJP President, G Kishan Reddy, was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister on Sunday. Re-elected from the Secunderabad constituency, he was also a member of the previous Cabinet. Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar was sworn in as the Minister of State.

Despite Rajender and two other MPs being strong contenders for Cabinet positions, the BJP preferred Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay due to their long-standing association and loyalty to the party. Rajender joined the BJP in 2021 after resigning from the TRS (now BRS) following his dismissal from the Cabinet over allegations of land encroachment. He also resigned as MLA from Huzurabad, subsequently winning the by-election held that year. However, Rajender did not get re-elected from Huzurabad in the November 2023 elections.

Rajender contested the Lok Sabha elections from Malkajgiri and won with a significant margin of over 3.91 lakh votes, the highest margin of victory among BJP MPs in the state. If appointed as BJP state chief, Rajender will succeed Kishan Reddy, who has held the position since July last year. The Union Minister was given the additional responsibility after Bandi Sanjay was removed as party President due to internal dissidence.

Under Kishan Reddy’s leadership, the BJP fought both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, increasing its tally in the 119-member Assembly from one to eight seats since 2018. With an impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the party doubled its tally to eight seats and increased its vote share to 35 percent.

With the elections concluded, the BJP leadership aims to appoint a full-time state President to strengthen the organization across Telangana. Rajender, a leader from the Backward Class known for his organizational skills, is seen as the right choice to prepare the BJP for the next Assembly elections.