A shriek may have cost the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the Dubbak by-polls though it was ahead of its rival by nearly 10% votes 10 days before the polling.
Senior Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders, who are still unable to digest the defeat despite the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao asking them to put it behind, feel the ‘unnecessary’ arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Bandi Sanjay infused the aggression into the BJP’s campaign.
More than the arrest the way he was arrested caused a lot of damage.
A police officer literally pinning him down in the vehicle even as Sanjay protested and the scream from his choked throat generated sympathy, a senior Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader felt.
“It gave scope for Mr. Sanjay to get more aggressive and the youngsters just caught onto it,” he said wishing anonymity.
Mr Sanjay was on his way to Siddipet after the controversial episode of police seizing cash from Telangana Rashtra Samithi candidate Raghunandan Rao’s relatives.
He was not allowed to enter Siddipet and whisked away to Karimnagar where he locked himself up in protest.
Internal surveys
The TRS candidate, according to internal surveys at that time was ahead by nearly 10% votes but the police high-handedness damaged the prospects to a large extent. First the money seizure episode made people believe the BJP’s claim that police was partisan, irrespective of the truth behind it.
Vociferous leaders in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) including president Bandi Sanjay and Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind cashed it on whipping up emotions of youngsters with their aggressive statements, a Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader from Medak argued.
The challenge from the Chief Minister on resigning if the BJP proved that it contributed ₹ 1600 of the ₹ 2,116 pension given by the state government and the counter challenge by Mr. Sanjay of hanging himself in Dubbak if the government proved that central government did not give ₹240 crore for development in Dubbak just provided the space for further aggression, a senior leader felt.
