Controversial Telangana BJP MLA T. Raja Singh Lodh, known for his hate-laced speeches, quit the party on Monday to protest the leadership’s decision to appoint someone else as the new state unit chief.

The three-term MLA from Hyderabad’s Goshamahal wrote a long protest letter to state BJP chief and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy to announce his resignation, a day ahead of the formal announcement of a new Telangana BJP president.

“I write this letter with a heavy heart and deep concern. As per media reports, Shri Ramchander Rao is set to be appointed as the new BJP state president for Telangana. This decision comes as a shock and disappointment, not just to me but lakhs of karyakartas (cadres)…,” the MLA said in his letter.

“With great sadness, I have decided to resign from the primary membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” he added, urging the party’s top leadership to reconsider their decision.

The leadership tussle in BJP state units is not limited to Telangana and has inordinately delayed the completion of the organisational elections.

On Saturday, the party was compelled to abruptly put on hold till further notice the election for a new Tripura president after sharp differences in the state unit. The election was scheduled on Sunday.

The BJP has been using the pending polls in its state units as an excuse for the protracted delay in the election of its national president. The party constitution mandates that organisational polls in at least 50 per cent of states should be completed before it can elect a new national president.

The BJP leadership has not yet finalised the name of the next national chief over differences with the RSS.

The Telangana MLA had, in a recent video message, appealed to the party leadership to appoint him as the state party boss, claiming overwhelming support from party cadres.

Known for his firebrand Hindutva image, Lodh had announced his plan to establish dedicated cow protection centres to be built by the party and assured the leadership that he would bring the BJP to power in Telangana and run the government like Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh.

“I have been a dedicated karyakarta, elected three times in a row with the blessings of the people and support of the party. But today, I find it difficult to stay silent or pretend that all is well. This is not about personal ambition; this letter reflects the pain and frustration of lakhs of loyal BJP workers,” his letter said.

Lodh was suspended from the BJP in August 2022 for his unsavoury remarks against Prophet Mohammed in a video posted on YouTube. The suspension came hours after his arrest by Hyderabad Police.