After being trumped by rival Congress in Karnataka in the May assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party pinning its hopes on Telangana to form a government in one of the five southern states ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
It will have to slug it out with the mighty Bharat Rashtra Samithi and a buoyed Congress in Telangana to form its first government in the state after the November 30 election.
The saffron party, which emerged as the principal challenger to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS after winning a few bypolls and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections in the past three years, suffered subsequent internal squabbles.
In order to pacify the dissidents, the party's central leadership had to replace Bandi Sanjay Kumar with Union Minister G Kishan Reddy as state president of the BJP.
Here is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of the BJP.
Strengths
The clean image maintained by the party in the state works to its benefit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and the party's political agility in the state.
Support from Sangh Pariwar, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliates Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal.
Weaknesses
Lack of strong organisational set-up in several constituencies.
Non-availability of strong candidates to field in all 119 Assembly seats.
Dependence on central leadership for every decision by the local unit.
A strong feeling among people that the BJP and BRS have a tacit understanding.
The removal of Bandi Sanjay as state president is seen as a weakness.
There is no leader in the state unit who can match Chief Minister KCR's image.
Opportunities
The party can claim credit for some of the achievements, such as the passing of the Women's Reservation Bill and the celebration of September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day. It can highlight the corruption allegations against the local leadership in the ruling dispensation.
KCR's daughter Kavitha's alleged role in the Delhi Excise Scam case.
Threats
After the Karnataka polls, its national rival Congress has emerged as an alternative to BRS in Telangana. This might result in anti-establishment votes consolidating towards Congress.
Congress's campaign may centre around the BJP and BRS' alleged tacit understanding.
The BJP needs to counter it effectively. Congress may use it as one of the major poll issues.
Lack of strong leadership in all 119 constituencies. So the availability of effective leaders who can put up a strong fight may impede electioneering.
Barring a few, there are hardly any crowd-pullers in the party.
