Mumbai, November 6: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), led by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, has made significant gains in Maharashtra by securing at least 10 gram panchayats in two districts during the recent elections. This achievement serves as a morale boost for the party ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana, scheduled for November 30.
Out of the 2,359 gram panchayats that went to polls, results for approximately 2,000 have already been declared. The BRS has emerged victorious in 9 gram panchayats in Bhandara district and one in the neighboring Beed district. However, the figures are subject to change as more results are pending, and the final outcome will be known in due course.
This marks the third time this year that K. Chandrashekar Rao’s BRS has made political waves in Maharashtra. Earlier, the party secured its first electoral victory outside Telangana by winning a sarpanch seat in Ambehola village of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in May 2023, followed by another sarpanch victory in Savkheda village of Jalgaon district in June.
K. Chandrashekar Rao and the BRS have expressed their intentions to expand their influence in Maharashtra, with plans to contest the 2024 Assembly elections and challenge the existing political alliances, whether ruling or opposition, under the banner of ‘Abki Baar, Kisan Sarkar’ (This time, a government for farmers).
The BRS has now become the second prominent party from Telangana, following the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), to make electoral inroads into the diverse political landscape of Maharashtra. This development has raised concerns among established national and regional parties in Maharashtra.
While the AIMIM has made significant headway in certain local civic elections, secured seats in the Maharashtra Assembly, and won a Lok Sabha seat, K. Chandrashekar Rao’s BRS is embarking on a more comprehensive political journey in Maharashtra. The party aspires to challenge the incumbent saffron alliance and potentially claim the state’s government, with its distinctive pink flag in the country’s commercial capital, Mumbai.
Several other out-of-state parties, such as the Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal-U, have managed to secure a legislator each and have some representation in local civic bodies. However, parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party are still striving to make a notable impact in Maharashtra’s political landscape.
