Hyderabad: ‘Outsider’ Bandi Sanjay Kumar powers BJP ‘bandi’

HYDERABAD: Bandi Sanjay Kumar was branded as an outsider by his own partymen and rival party leaders. But with the BJP bagging 48 seats in Greater Hyderabad elections and by far securing the biggest haul of seats in any election in Telangana and even when AP was united, the 49-year-old firebrand leader has now become the most popular face of BJP.
During the intense campaign for the GHMC polls, TPCC chief N Utam Kumar Reddy, who quit on Friday, said Sanjay was an outsider who has no clue about Hyderabad and claimed the BJP has very little chance to make inroads in Hyderabad.A similar sentiment echoed within the BJP ranks when Sanjay took over the party reins in March this year with questions asked about his “not from the city” lineage. He hails from Karimnagar in north Telangana.

Sanjay proved people wrong in short time
Traditionally, the BJP has been led by leaders from the city such as Bandaru Dattatreya, G Kishan Reddy and Dr K Laxman. Doubts were also expressed if Sanjay can get along with seniors and win the hearts of newcomers joining the saffron party from other parties. But Sanjay proved everybody wrong by handing out the biggest victory to the BJP in his brief tenure as party chief. “A vehicle in Telugu is called ‘bandi’. Our Bandi has driven the party to the victory podium,” a party leader said.
Under his leadership, the BJP has opened up completely as a party for Hindus. His constant playing of Hindutva card, strong and aggressive posturing during the poll campaign and daring CM KCR to come down to Bhagyalakshmi temple at Charminar for a public debate became the rage on social media. Though BJP MLA T Raja Singh was known for his anti-Muslim remarks, Sanjay emerged as a more aggressive leader with his pro-Hindu stand.
Sanjay unsuccessfully contested in Dec 2018 as an MLA from Karimnagar constituency but secured 66,000 votes, which was the highest number of votes secured by a BJP contestant. He didn’t lose hope and contested the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat (a stronghold of TRS) in 2019 and trumped TRS candidate B Vinod Kumar.
Having been a municipal corporator from Karimnagar thrice, Sanjay had contested in 2014 assembly elections also but ended up as a loser.
Bandi was also active in the RSS as a youth leader, joining the organisation when he was just 12. He had worked as a party affairs in-charge in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. He was also the vehicle in-charge for BJP veteran leader LK Advani during his Suraj Rath Yatra.