Regional parties better placed to respond to people’s needs: Former Speaker

Published 6 June 2026 · politics

BRS Parliamentary Party leader and e Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy said that regional parties are better placed to respond to the needs of people, during

BRS Parliamentary Party leader and e Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy said that regional parties are better placed to respond to the needs of people, during a panel discussion on ‘Nurturing our Pluralist Union: The role of regional politics in strengthening democracy’ on the second day of The Hindu Huddle 2026 on Saturday (June 6, 2026). Rajya Sabha members Javed Ali Khan (Samajwadi Party) and Dr. Santrupt Misra (Biju Janata Dal) also spoke extensively on regional parties’ influence. Reddy acknowledged that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) had faced setbacks in Telangana, losing both the Assembly and Parliamentary elections, but pointed to local body polls as evidence of revival.

“BRS’s resurgence is rooted in the fact that regional parties can respond better to the needs of people. Their aspirations, their needs are much more answered, much more met, and much more taken up by regional parties than national parties,” he observed. The former Speaker said that India was formed out of 550 princely states, and that the diversity of the country requires regional voices to be heard. “The deepening of democracy is essential and that can happen only through regional parties,” he said, stressing that national parties often fail to capture the nuances of local issues.

Speaking about the next national elections, Mr. Reddy predicted that coalition politics would be the way forward. He argued that both national parties had been tested, one failing and the other given multiple chances, leaving space for regional parties to emerge as a credible alternative. “That gives us a clear opening that if we form a strong alliance and move away from caste politics to development politics, there is a possibility,” he said, citing Tamil Nadu as an example where regional parties have successfully led alliances. Reddy also clarified that the BRS remains non‑aligned in Parliament, neither with UPA nor NDA, and takes positions based on national interest.

Rejecting charges of opportunism, he insisted that regional parties are clear in their positions. “Our political stand has been absolutely clear. Even though we are a regional party, whether we support or oppose, it doesn’t matter in Parliament. The factors through opposing and supporting enlighten the nation that this is what is right for us,” he said.