Senior BJP leader and Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender has faced another setback within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana, as the party high command appointed former MLC N. Ramachander Rao as the new state president, sidelining Rajender despite his strong candidacy.
The decision has sparked discussions about Rajender’s diminishing influence within the BJP, a stark contrast to his powerful stature as the second most prominent leader in the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS, formerly TRS) before his exit in 2021.
Rajender, a prominent Backward Classes (BC) leader from the Mudiraj community, was a key figure in the BRS, serving as Telangana’s first Finance Minister (2014-2018) and later as Health Minister (2019-2021). As a close aide to BRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao, he wielded significant influence, often seen as the party’s organizational backbone. However, after his unceremonious exit from the BRS in 2021 over allegations of land encroachment, Rajender joined the BJP, hoping to replicate his political dominance.
His transition included a high-profile win in the 2021 Huzurabad by-election and the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Malkajgiri, raising expectations for a leadership role within the BJP.
Sources indicate that Rajender was a frontrunner for the Telangana BJP president post, leveraging his electoral success, oratory skills, and appeal among the BC community, which constitutes a significant vote bank in the state. His supporters argued that his appointment could counter the Congress’s push for 42% BC reservations and consolidate the BJP’s gains after winning eight Lok Sabha seats in 2024. However, the party high command opted for Ramachander Rao, a senior advocate and long-time BJP loyalist with deep RSS roots, citing his clean image, seniority, and ability to unify the party’s old guard and newer entrants.
The decision has reportedly left Rajender and his supporters disappointed, with some viewing it as a continuation of the “rude treatment” he has faced since joining the BJP. In 2023, tensions emerged when Rajender was appointed Election Management Committee chief instead of state president, a move seen as an attempt to placate him while favoring then-president Bandi Sanjay Kumar.
His vocal ambition for the state president role this time, backed by an influential Delhi leader, was overshadowed by internal resistance from traditional BJP leaders who viewed him as an “outsider” due to his recent entry from the BRS. Political analysts suggest that Rajender’s repeated sidelining reflects the BJP’s cautious approach to integrating defectors into leadership roles, prioritizing long-term loyalists.