KCR’s party eyes Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh

Distancing from the ongoing campaign to unite Opposition, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is charting his own course. Rao is maintaining equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress.
The BRS supremo is eyeing the states where his party can challenge both national parties directly. So, he is focused on expanding BRS units in the various states till the Lok Sabha polls. The Telangana CM has set the stage from Maharashtra. He is continuously touring the state. Rao has coined a slogan for Maharashtra—“Abki baar, Kisan sarkar”. The indication is that the BRS will fight polls in Maharashtra on the plank of farmers’ issues. The party is also keeping an eye on the leaders who are feeling neglected in other parties.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Republican Party (BRP) leader Prakash Ambedkar has joined hands with Rao. According to sources, Rao has had two rounds of meetings so far with former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan. Several leaders of NCP and Uddhav Thackeray’s party are said to be in touch with him. The BRS chief’s next target is Madhya Pradesh. Sources say AAP and SP will have an alliance with BRS which will fight in Delhi and UP. The BRS is not going to launch its units in Delhi and UP for now. There will be some office-bearers of the party in the two states, but they will be working in close coordination with AAP and SP. Indications are such that the BRS will fight on its own at the national level instead of joining the ranks with Opposition.
The BRS is more hopeful about Maharashtra. In fact, Congress leaders in Maharashtra are gradually losing hope of getting CM post or any other significant post if MVA comes to power, as Uddhav’s party and NCP are in leading roles there. At the same time, Sharad Pawar’s move to appoint his daughter Supriya Sule as a working president has displeased several leaders including Ajit Pawar. All these leaders are exploring possibilities in other parties. And, BRS leader Rao is keeping this fact in view while working in Maharashtra. Rao believes his party will be strong if these leaders join it in future before assembly polls. With this in view, Rao has started working for expansion of his outfit in Maharashtra. The party is expanding its worker base. Rao is assured of return to power in Telangana where polls will be held in November. Rao is confident that BJP and Congress cannot harm his party as its bond with voters is quite strong due to his welfare schemes. The BRS will expand its foothold in states such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.