Hyderabad, Jul 1 (PTI) Former MLC N Ramchander Rao, an ABVP veteran and senior advocate, was on Tuesday elected as the new president of the BJP in Telangana, succeeding Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy.

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who was the returning officer for the election, handed over the appointment letter to Rao.

"I declare that Ramachander Rao was unanimously elected as Telangana BJP president," Karandlaje said at a function held here.

BJP senior leaders, including Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, congratulated Rao.

The appointment of Rao is seen as a move aimed at strengthening the party's ideological and organisational base in the state.

Rao was the only candidate to file his nomination for the state unit president post and his election was announced today.

Speaking on the occasion, Kishan Reddy alleged that the aspirations for which Telangana was formed have not been fulfilled even after 11 years of its formation.

Telangana, which was formed with a surplus budget, is now debt-ridden, he said.

Both Congress and BRS and the families of former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Rahul Gandhi have "looted" Telangana, he alleged.

Reddy urged party leaders and activists to work with unity for the BJP to come to power in the state. The power is not for the sake of the party or its leaders, but to serve the country and to realise the aspirations of those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Telangana statehood, he said.

Ramchander Rao said the BJP has grown in Telangana from being a minor player to now having eight Lok Sabha members, eight MLAs, a Rajya Sabha member and three MLCs.

The BJP's rise in the state is the result of hard work and sacrifices made by party leaders and workers some of whom were killed in the past by Naxalites, he said.

Rao, who recalled the days when he and other party activists used to travel by public transport buses for party work, said it is a matter of pride for him that he has been elected as state unit president.

He also emphasised that there would be a "collective leadership" though he is the party's state head.

Talking about the forthcoming local body elections in the state, Rao said the party leaders and activists need to work to win in the polls.

The BJP would democratically fight against the Congress government, he said, adding that he would work to take the party to new heights. PTI SJR GDK SJR KH

State party presidency bolsters organisational strategy, with unanimous appointment aimed at preparing for local elections. N. Ramchander Rao was unanimously elected as the state unit president of a national political party through an uncontested nomination and formal appointment by the returning officer; the change is presented as aimed at strengthening the party's ideological and organisational base and preparing for upcoming local body elections.