The Telangana assembly elections witnessed a significant blow to the Janasena party as it, in alliance with the BJP, faced defeats in all eight contested seats. Despite the strategic alliance, Janasena candidates failed to secure victories, and deposits were lost across the board. Criticism arose from BJP leaders who argued that Janasena took seats traditionally held by the BJP, leading to dissatisfaction among local party members.
Candidates such as Mummareddy Premkumar, Nemuri Shankargoud, Mekala Sathish Reddy, Laxman Goud, Miryala Ramakrishna, Lakkineni Surender Rao, Dr. Tejawat Sampath Naik, and Muyabo, representing Janasena, struggled to gain substantial votes in their respective constituencies. The absence of a common symbol, owing to Janasena’s non-registration as a political party in the state, posed an additional challenge, with all candidates running as independents.
The discontent among BJP leaders was palpable, as they contended that allocating eight seats to Janasena, a party with limited influence in Telangana, did not yield political advantages. The dissatisfaction extended to the belief that if BJP leaders had contested in the allotted seats, they might have secured a more favorable outcome, emphasizing the complexities and challenges within the alliance’s electoral strategy.