Congress appoints BM Sandeep as new Telangana in-charge, replaces Meenakshi Natarajan | Political Pulse News
Ending months of speculations about a change of guard, the Congress on Saturday replaced Meenakshi Natarajan with B M Sandeep as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Telangana.
“With the responsibility there are a great deal of expectations of me. I will try to fulfil those under the guidance of the senior leadership and (Leader of the Opposition) Rahul Gandhi. I am grateful to the leadership for recognising my work for the party and I hope I can meet their expectations,” Sandeep told The Indian Express following his appointment.
However, he faces a challenging task, particularly with Assembly elections due in two years. Senior Congress leaders in Telangana said Sandeep would have to navigate competing interests within the state unit while preparing the party for the upcoming electoral challenges.
His immediate priority will be to oversee preparations for the local body elections in Telangana, scheduled to be held in the coming months.
Natarajan’s tumultuous tenure
Telangana Congress leaders said Natarajan had requested the high command to relieve her of organisational responsibilities as she plans to pursue higher studies abroad. She was at the centre of several controversies and disagreements with the state leadership, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Natarajan took charge in February 2025 and soon found herself at odds with several “influential” leaders in the state unit. Reddy is learnt to have conveyed to the party leadership that her brand of “simplistic” politics, while perhaps effective in north India, could damage the Congress’s image in Telangana.
“The state’s leadership is not easy to work with. There are inflated egos here. If you see the last few in-charges of the state, including Deepa Dasmunsi, Manickam Tagore and others, all have had run-ins with the state leadership,” a senior party leader told The Indian Express.
A month after her appointment, Natarajan drew criticism from sections of the state unit when she backed students, teachers and civil society groups protesting against the Congress government’s proposal to clear 400 acres of land allotted to the University of Hyderabad.
In June this year, her nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections was rejected, triggering another controversy within the party. Natarajan challenged the rejection in the Supreme Court, but her plea was eventually dismissed. The nomination had also reportedly caused discontent among sections of the Telangana Congress.
Who is Sandeep?
A Congress leader from Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka, Sandeep has risen through the party ranks, beginning his political journey as a member of the party-affiliated student body, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), in the early 2000s. He has also served as a member of the Chikkamagaluru city council.
Before his elevation, Sandeep had served as an AICC secretary for eight years, handling organisational responsibilities in different states like Maharashtra and Gujarat.
He came into the limelight during the Kerala Assembly elections this year, where he served as a Congress in-charge and worked closely with party general secretary K C Venugopal and party Rajya Sabha MP Mansoor Ali Khan.
Sandeep is said to have developed an understanding of Kerala’s political landscape, including local issues, voter sentiments and expectations. Local media reports in Karnataka have credited him with building the party organisation from the village to the city level, mobilising grassroots workers, using social media effectively and conducting door-to-door outreach, particularly among young voters.
(With inputs from Johnson T A)
