Etela Rajender joined BJP only eight months ago. But he has emerged as the top and influential leader in Telangana BJP within a short span.

This is because Etela Rajender was a popular political figure in Telangana who worked in TRS along with KCR from 2003 to 2021. He actively took part in Telangana statehood agitation, won Assembly elections from TRS for five successive terms. After Telangana state was formed in June 2014, CM KCR took Etela into his cabinet and gave him finance portfolio considered as No.2 in cabinet after CM post from 2014 to 2018. KCR again made Etela as health minister in his second term in office from 2019 to 2021.

But due to political confrontation with KCR in second term, he was sacked from cabinet in May 2021. Etela resigned to TRS and his Huzurabad MLA post, joined BJP, contested Huzurabad bypoll as BJP candidate and trounced TRS even after KCR spent thousands of crores of rupees to defeat Etela.

Etela attracted the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah by defeating TRS in Huzurabad.

At a time, when KCR has launched a battle against Modi and BJP and bringing all parties across India together to oust Modi and BJP from power in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP high command is reportedly considering Etela for BJP Telangana president post to check KCR and TRS in Telangana. BJP high command reportedly believes that only Etela is capable to dethrone TRS and KCR from power in Telangana.

The present BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay term ends in March 2023. Bandi Sanjay was appointed as president in March 2020 and his three year tenure will end in March 2023. This means Sanjay is left with only one year tenure.

The Telangana Assembly polls are scheduled in December 2023 and BJP high command reportedly feels that the time will be ripe to make Etela president in March 2023 so that he can handle Assembly polls for nine months and defeat TRS.

Etela’s track record of active participation in Telangana statehood agitation for 12 years, his popularity, successful political career and hailing from Backward Classes are his advantages that no other BJP leader in Telangana can boast of.

Is the BJP eyeing six senior TRS leaders? Is it trying to bring them into its fold? Will this be a trigger for the other disgruntled TRS MLAs to make a beeline to the BJP? Will this plan be put in place soon after the MLC elections? If sources are to be believed, the answer to all these questions is a resounding “yes”.

Both Huzurabad MLA Eatala Rajender and BjP vice-president DK Aruna giving final touches to a “Operation Akarsh” plan. At least six MLAs, a majority of them from the North Telangana, are said to be deeply unhappy with the way KCR is running the party. They are said to be in touch with Eatala Rajender. In fact, these MLAs have reportedly helped Eatala on the sly during the recent byelection to Huzurabad. They are now planning to join the BjP.

At the same time, DK Aruna is said to be in touch with several Congress leaders and is luring them into the BjP. Sources say they have already kept the national BJP leadership in the loop about their plans to lure leaders from other parties into the BJP. Sources say the defections could happen soon after the MLC elections as several leaders are unhappy at being sidelined in the TRS.

Sources say at least six MLAs from the TRS are in touch with Eatala Rajender. They reportedly met at a rendezvous on the outskirts of the city. These MLAs are planning to switch sides after the MLC elections. Sources say that KCR may not immediately take action against these MLAs even after they switch sides. This is because he does not want six more byelections. Even if a half of them are lost, KCR’s position would be seriously dented.

One person who must be feeling quite smug after Eatala Rajender has trounced the ruling TRS is the burly AP Jitender Reddy. AP Jitender Reddy was the incharge of the elections from the BJP for Huzurabad. Unassuming and affable, Reddy worked behind the curtains and played no mean role in the victory of Eatala Rajender through his deft planning and effective strategising.

Initially, the BjP has designated G Premender Reddy as the party’s election incharge. But, Eatala objected to it by raising questions about his experience and efficacy. It was only after the national leadership’s involvement that Jitender Reddy was brought in. Jitender Reddy, who has been an MP twice in the past, is known for his electioneering skills. Ever since he was entrusted with the responsibility, Reddy remained confined to the constituency and worked very hard to mobilise support for Eatala.

Earlier, he was incharge of the election in Dubbak. In both Dubbak and Huzurabad, JItender Reddy’s work has won everyone’s appreciation. Both Dubbak MLA Raghunandan Rao and Huzurabad’s Eatala were very happy with his work. Now that the BjP has won both the elections, Reddy’s importance has gone up many folds in the party.

Reddy is now seen as a go-getter in the party. His stock has gone up in the party and is work is recognised at the national level. Reddy has been a two-time MP. He has won in 1999 on BJP ticket and later won on the TRS ticket in 2014.

Despite government power and money power exerted by TRS, the BJP’s Etela Rajender emerged victorious in Huzurabad Assembly bypoll with a good majority of over 24,000 votes.

TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao has deployed ministers Harish Rao, Gangual Kamalakar, Koppula Eshwar, MLAs Balka Suman, Challa Dharma Reddy, Guvvala Balaraju etc in Huzurabad constituency for five months to defeat Etela.

They undertook extensive campaign against Etela Rajender saying that Rajender failed to develop Huzurabad constituency since 2004 and even after working as minister in TRS government from 2014 to 2021.

However, none of them could stop Etela Rajender from winning this bypoll.

Now Etela has decided to pay back to these leaders in the same coin.

Etela has decided to hold public meetings in Harish Rao’s constituency Siddipet, Gangula Kamalakar’s constituency Karimnagar, Koppula Eshwar’s constituency Dharmapuri, Balka Suman’s constituency Chennur and Challa Dharma Reddy’s constituency Parkal.

Etela will expose these TRS leaders in their own constituencies how they failed in securing Dalit Bandhu scheme, double bed room houses, ration cards, community halls, Aasara pensions, job notifications, other welfare schemes etc despite being in ruling party and despite working as ministers and MLAs in TRS government.

Etela wants to prove that all ministers and MLAs in TRS are only dummies and they can’t dare to ask KCR for funds and schemes for development of their constituencies.

Former Telangana minister Eatala Rajender will contest Huzurabad Assembly by-election as the BJP candidate.

The party on Sunday officially announced Rajender as its candidate for the bypoll scheduled on October 30.

Rajender had joined BJP in June after resigning from the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and quitting as MLA from Huzurabad. This came after he was dropped from State Cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao following allegations of land grabbing.

Sunday’s announcement cleared the uncertainty over the candidate. Earlier, Rajender’s wife Jamuna had dropped hints that she may enter the fray as BJP candidate.

She had said that whether Rajender contests the poll or she enters the fray, it is one and the same.

Rajender was dropped from Cabinet following allegations that he encroached lands of some farmers in Medak district for the poultry unit run by his wife and son. Rajender, however, denied the allegations and said that he is ready to face even a judicial probe into his assets.

He was elected to the Assembly four times from Huzurabad on the TRS ticket. He was first elected in 2009 and retained the seat in the by-election held a year later.

He was elected again in 2014 and was made Finance Minister in the first TRS government. In 2018, he retained the seat and was made a minister again, but given the Health portfolio this time.

Rajender has been associated with TRS since the party was floated by Chandrasekhar Rao in 2001.

TRS has already announced G. Srinivas Yadav, president of the party’s student wing, as the candidate. He filed the nomination on October 1.

Why have some campaign vehicles of Huzurabad’s BJP MLA candidate Eatala Rajender been painted blue instead of BJP’s saffron? This question is rankling the political observers watching the events unfold in poll-bound Huzurabad. The blue campaign vehicles of Eatala, though with a Lotus symbol on it, are rambling in and out of the constituency.

When Eatala decided to take on KCR, the first thing he did was to change the colour of his social media DPs. From pink, they became light saffron. Then the map of Telangana had a powerful fist on the DP. Later, on the day when he became a BJP member, it tuned saffron. So, when some of his campaign vehicles suddenly turned blue, there is predictable commotion not just in the BJP but also among the political circles. Was he trying to come of the BJP? Was he planning to come up with something new? These were the questions asked.

Meanwhile, it became clear that Eatala was not even thinking of leaving the BJP. In fact, that is perhaps the last thing on his mind. It was Eatala’s compulsion that he had joined the BJP and not otherwise. The blue campaign vehicles are meant specifically for the areas inhabited by the Dalits. Eatala understands that Dalit Bandhu scheme will surely dent his vote. So, to reach out to the Dalit areas, he has decided to invoke Ambedkar, Phule and Jagjivan Ram. At the same time, he felt that saffron may not appeal to the Dalit area. Hence he opted for the blue colour, which is often identified with Dalit activism.

Sources say he is also worried that fomer IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar factor too could cut into Dalit votes. Hence, he felt that the blue colour will help him in reaching out to the Dalits. Interestingly, in other areas, the campaign vehicles are still in saffron. So, Eatala’s strategy seems to be – saffron campaign vehicles for other areas and blue vehicles for Dalit areas. Well! Let’s see if this strategy works out.

The BJP workers and fans across are longing to hear those two slogans from its newest icon. The icon in question is drawing huge crowds. He is sporting a huge Tilak and is donning the saffron stole. He is spitting fire and brimstone. But, those “two slogans” are not coming forth from the mouth of this worthy leader. The BJP workers are getting impatient as the “leader” continues to avoid mouthing those slogans.

We are talking about Eatala Rajender. Eatala, who fell out with KCR, had joined the BJP amid fanfare. But, a dyed-in-the-wool Leftist, Eatala Rajender has not so far uttered the two slogans that the BJP workers yearn to hear. He has not so far said “Bharat Matha Ki Jai” and “Jai Sriram.” Interestingly, no BJP leader ever ends his speech without chanting either Jai Sriram or Bharat Matha Ki Jai. These two have been their mantras.

Yet, Eatala, who began his political activism as a PDSU activist and has worked underground in the Naxal movement for quite some time, remained true to his beliefs even as a TRS leader. His transition to the TRS was natural. It is only now that he has fallen out with KCR and needs the support of a strong political party. So, he chose the BJP. Though he has joined the BJP, he, it appears, has not embraced its ideology.

As of now, he is covering every nook and corner of Huzurabad assembly constituency. But, he has never said “Jai Sriram.” His speeches end with the typical “Jai Telangana.” Even during his campaign, he is speaking only about what he has done for Huzurabad and how his politics are intertwined with the constituency. Rarely is he mentioning the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the schemes of the BJP government at the Centre. The BJP activists are now increasingly asking themselves if Eatala has mentally and psychologically still outside BJP.