KCR forks into Andhra Pradesh politics, Thota Chandrasekhar's joining into BRS to dent Jana Sena

HYDERABAD: Former IAS officer Thota Chandrasekhar, who took the plunge in 2009, will be joining the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the presence of its president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) is a major step in the expansion politics of the BRS. Thota Chandrasekhar's family is into big time highrise structures and urban homes under the banner Aditya Constructions.

Thota Chandrasekhar, a former IAS officer, joined the Praja Rajyam Party of Megastar Chiranjeevi and contested on behalf of the party for Guntur Lok Sabha seat. However, he lost the election to Congress candidate Rayapati Sambasiva Rao. He later joined the YSR Congress Party and contested from Eluru Lok Sabha seat in 2014, but lost to Maganti Babu of the TDP. He later joined the Janasena Party of film star and Chiranjeevi;s younger brother Pawan Kalyan in 2019 elections to the Assembly on Janasena ticket from Guntur West Assembly seat and lost.

In all likelihood, Thota Chandrasekhar will be the president of the BRS's Andhra Pradesh unit. This would naturally dent the Kapu vote bank and damage Pawan Kalyan's party as he is heavily harping on the support of his caste, the Kapus.

However, as he is overtly playing second fiddle to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), there is a clearcut division among the Kapus. While Mudragada Padmanabham, a Kapu strongman from East Godavari district, is strongly opposing the Chandrababu Naidu's way of handling Kapus, a large section is rallying behind the YSR Congress. Most leaders and legislators of the community are currently with the YSR Congress. It is not known whether there is a tacit understanding between the BRS and the YSRC, for the first move of the BRS would surely drive a wedge within the Janasena party and Kapu vote bank. Meanwhile, former minister Chegondi Hari Rama Jogaiah has announced that he is going to launch a hunger strike pressing the AP Government to implement Kapu reservations.

The surprise move by KCR to fork into the Andhra Pradesh politics through Thota Chandrasekhar is going to lure the rich leaders in the Kapu community to rally behind him. The former bureaucrat can bank on KCR's stature to take the BRS into the people in AP.

Along with Thota Chandrasekhar, former TDP Minister Ravella Kishore Babu, who is a former IRS officer, and another former IRS officer Chintala Parthasarathy who contested unsuccessfully from Anakapalle Lok Sabha seat on behalf of Janasena Party in 2019 are also joining the BRS. Kishore Babu, who was elected to the Assembly from Prathipadu SC Reserved Assembly seat in 2014 on behalf of the Telugu Desam Party, served as a minister in the Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet. However, he fell apart with the TDP subsequently.

With the entry of former bureaucrats from Andhra Pradesh, KCR can hope to lure a section of educated class who could eventually act as influencers.