BJP MLC and National Executive member N Ramchandra Rao said besides the 24 urban seats, the party is also looking at semi-urban seats nearby. (Express Photo/Tashi Tobgyal/File)

The BJP in Telangana is contesting on all the 119 Assembly constituencies but is laying special emphasis on the 24 urban constituencies in and around Hyderabad. These 24 constituencies in Hyderabad and adjoining Ranga Reddy district include the IT corridor and pockets where people from Andhra Pradesh have settled. In the 2014 Assembly polls, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won 15 of these seats while at least 10 MLAs later crossed over to Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). The three Lok Sabha constituencies — Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Malkajgiri — were in 2014 won by the AIMIM, BJP and TDP.

Sources in the Telangana BJP said the party will take the fight even to MIM bastions in the Muslim-dominated old city of Hyderabad. BJP strategists feel that the party will do well in urban constituencies. “In 2014, TDP won 15 seats in Hyderabad because it benefited from the tie-up with BJP. All the five BJP MLAs are from urban constituencies of Hyderabad. In the coming elections, we feel that people will prefer BJP over TRS or TDP, and the anti-incumbency vote will also go to BJP. We are also looking at votes from Muslim-dominated areas which traditionally voted for MIM as people are unhappy with that party…,” BJP Manifesto Committee Chairman and former MLA NVSS Prabhakar said.

BJP MLC and National Executive member N Ramchandra Rao said besides the 24 urban seats, the party is also looking at semi-urban seats nearby. “Apart from the 24 urban seats we are also looking at constituencies like Pargi, Vikarabad, Chevella, Tandur etc. In these constituencies, BJP will gain because of fear of MIM…. In the urban and semi-urban constituencies, a majority of the anti-incumbency vote will go to BJP,” Rao said.