BJP in Telangana, which is going all out to win the by-elections to Dubbak assembly seat in Siddipet district, is said to be planning to rope in Jana Sena Party chief and power star Pawan Kalyan for the campaign as a last-ditch effort.
For BJP, which had won four Lok Sabha seats in 2019 parliament elections in Telangana, winning Dubbak seat is very crucial, as it would help emerge as a major force by next elections.
It would also have an impact on its prospects in the forthcoming elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
Since Dubbak is adjacent to Gajwel, the assembly constituency represented by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, a win in Dubbak will be a big morale booster for the BJP.
However, it is not so easy for the BJP to win the seat, particularly because KCR’s nephew and minister from Siddipet T Harish Rao has been camping there for the last two months, making all efforts to retain the seat.
Though BJP candidate M Raghunandan Rao is also putting in the best efforts and has been touring the constituency even before his name was finalised by the party, he needs a strong force to propel him in the campaign.
That is precisely why the BJP leadership is said to have requested Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan to campaign for Raghunandan at least for one day in Dubbak, if not for a week or so.
The party is of the view that since Pawan still has a lot of fan following among the youth, he might be able to help the party attract young voters who are generally not happy with the TRS rule. Moreover, TRS candidate Solipeta Sujata has not been able to impress the voters very much.
Secondly, Jana Sena is also planning to contest a few seats in the GHMC elections. If Pawan can campaign for the BJP in Dubbak and secure a win, it will also help both BJP and Jana Sena to win a few divisions in the GHMC polls as well.
It remains to be seen whether Pawan will come out of his shell and campaign for the BJP in Telangana.