The Congress does not have popular support among people in Telangana as seen in several elections during the last couple of years and people see BJP as an alternative to the ruling BRS, state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar said on Thursday.
Addressing a public meeting in Makthal assembly constituency as part of BJP 'Maha Sampark Abhiyan', he said pre-poll surveys show that BJP is going to win the elections.
He claimed that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is seeking to help Congress make gains. However, there is no chance of Congress getting people's support, he said.
In an apparent reference to 12 Congress MLAs joining the ruling BRS (TRS then) in 2019, Kumar claimed that Congress is like a "shopping mall" for Rao where he can "purchase" MLAs.
He said Congress badly lost in the by-polls in Dubbak and Huzurabad assembly segments and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporations (GHMC) during the last couple of years.
"In Munugode (assembly bypoll), Congress did not get a deposit. We (BJP) lost the bypoll only by 10,000 votes. People saw BJP as an alternative to BRS," he said.
BJP nominee won in the MLC poll from the Teachers' constituency in Hyderabad, he said.
Referring to AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi recently talking about the BRS government's promise of constructing an 'Islamic Centre' in Hyderabad, he asked the gathering whether it should be accepted.
He asked why development projects like the construction of flyovers, metro rail, and the creation of job opportunities are not happening in the old city of Hyderabad.
Hyderabad is represented in Lok Sabha by Asaduddin Owaisi.
Kumar, known for his strong Hindutva views, referred to the alleged provocative comments of AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi earlier and asked whether such things should be tolerated.
The BJP leader, who highlighted the development initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, attacked the BRS government over allegedly rising debt burden and failed promises like three acres of land to Dalits and others.