Party working president KT Rama Rao declared that the party is boycotting the election and that a whip will be issued to all its voters to abstain from voting. The party appears to have made this decision after considering its long-term strategy to regain its lost glory. At this stage, it looks it made no sense for the party to contest the election and lose, which would only add to the ruling Congress’ clamour that the BRS is down and out. KTR said, after a party workers’ meeting on Sunday, 20 April: “We do not have the numbers. We cannot support either the BJP or the AIMIM. That is why we are boycotting the election.” Also Read: AIMPLB, AIMIM, BRS, YSRCP, and DMK unite in Hyderabad for a show of strength against Waqf Act BJP to contest The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which also lacks the necessary numbers, is, nonetheless fielding N Goutham Rao to build a narrative that it is the only party fighting the AIMIM to protect the interests of Hindus. The Congress is not contesting but will participate in polling. It is suspected that it will support the AIMIM, which is fielding Mirza Riyaz Ul Hasan Effendi. The party-wise breakdown of voters in the election is: AIMIM: 49, including 9 ex-officio members BJP: 25, including 6 ex-officio members BRS: 24, including 9 ex-officio members Congress: 14, including 7 ex-officio members The voters comprise several corporators of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), MLAs, MPs, and MLCs in Hyderabad. The seat will fall vacant after the expiry of the term of incumbent BRS MLC MS Prabhakar on 1 May 2025. Also Read: Formula-E race case: Congress government lays the foundations for KTR’s arrest Reduced strength of BRS The fortunes of the BRS took a hit in the 2020 GHMC elections when it secured only 56 of the 150 corporator seats. This was because the BJP, under the leadership of then-state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, made significant inroads into the BRS’s voter base. The AIMIM won 44 seats, while the Congress ended with a humiliating tally of just two. Thereafter, the BRS’s prospects continued to decline, and it lost power in the state in 2023 after an unexpected drubbing at the hands of the Congress, which had been quietly gaining strength. After its victory in the Assembly elections, Congress became even more aggressive, and the BJP, which was also showing signs of growth, quickly occupied some of the BRS’s political space. In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and Congress split 16 of the 17 seats equally between them, leaving Hyderabad to the AIMIM. After the Lok Sabha polls, the BRS appeared severely weakened, prompting several BRS corporators, including prominent figures like Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi and Deputy Mayor Mothe Srilatha Reddy, to defect to Congress, who apparently saw no future in continuing with the pink party. This significantly reduced the BRS’s strength. BRS to focus on local body polls In the Hyderabad LAC MLC election, the AIMIM is in a strong position with 49 votes, followed by the BJP with 25, BRS with 24, and Congress with 14. Another reason given by the BRS for skipping the Hyderabad LAC election is that it wants to conserve its resources for the local body elections, which are more important as they would solidify and strengthen the party’s grassroots. This apart, the party is now busy with its plenary on 27 April. The party, it is said, is preparing for by-elections it believes are certain to take place due to the possibility of the disqualification of 10 BRS MLAs who joined the Congress. The petition filed by the BRS for their disqualification is before the Supreme Court. (Edited by Sumavarsha)