The year-long suspension imposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party on firebrand party legislator from Goshamahal in Hyderabad T Raja Singh might be revoked and he might be fielded in the upcoming assembly elections.
According to sources, the state BJP leadership prevailed on the national BJP leaders to lift the suspension of Raja Singh from the party and field him in the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections.
The revocation of Singh’s suspension was discussed in detail during the BJP Central Election Committee meeting in New Delhi late on Friday, 20 October.
His name is expected to be on the first list of candidates to be declared by the party later in the night.
The central leadership is also seriously considering fielding more women and candidates from the Backward Classes (BCs) communities in the 30 November elections.
On Thursday, Union Tourism Minister and Telangana BJP state president G Kishan Reddy had been non-committal on lifting the suspension on Singh.
When reporters in New Delhi asked him whether Singh’s name would figure on the list, the Union Minister replied, “Once the list is ready, we will inform you.”
When his attention was drawn to the statements of Singh that the party was yet to revoke the suspension, Reddy said, “It is our party’s internal issue. We look into it and we will resolve it.”
To another question on whether Singh would contest the elections, he replied that if the suspension was revoked, the MLA would be in the fray.
On August 23, 2022, the BJP suspended Singh from the party hours after his arrest by the Hyderabad police for allegedly making controversial statements and outraging the religious feelings of a particular community.
The letter signed by Om Pathak, Member Secretary, Central Disciplinary Committee, BJP, stated that Singh had expressed views contrary to the party’s position on various matters.
Singh had posted a video on YouTube allegedly referring to a particular community and the recently concluded stand-up comedy by Munawar Faruqui in Hyderabad.
The MLA was released in November 2022 after the Telangana High Court set aside his arrest under the provisions of the Preventive Detention (PD) Act.
Since then, Singh has been staying away from party activities. He only took part in the Sri Rama Navami Shobha Yatra procession organised from Dhoolpet to Hanuman Vyayamshala in Sultan Bazaar on 30 March 2023.
Singh is the only BJP candidate to have won the Assembly elections held in 2018 while all the candidates, who contested, lost.
Given his popularity and mass appeal not only in his constituency Goshamahal, but also elsewhere in the country, the BJP central leadership might not take any decision against Singh and might revoke his suspension so that he could contest on a party ticket.
Raja Singh remains suspended despite several heavyweight BJP leaders, including actor-politician Vijayashanti, interceding on his behalf.
Denying him a ticket from Goshamahal and handing over the constituency to any other candidate could spell trouble for the party.