Santosh Patnaik
Visakhapatnam: The exodus of TDP leaders to ruling YSR Congress Party has given a new hope to Bharatiya Janata Party to emerge as an alternative force in Andhra Pradesh.
At its State executive body meeting held recently at Tirupati, the party expressed its complete satisfaction over its win in Dubbak assembly and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls in Telangana. The party is also making serious efforts to put up a good show in the by-polls being conducted for Tirupati Lok Sabha.
BJP, has aligned with Jana Sena president and film star Pavan Kalyan as it felt the need to have a crowd-puller to better its prospects in AP.
After TDP broke its alliance with BJP-led NDA in 2019 over denial of Special Category Status, the saffron party faced the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls alone and drew a blank.
Realising the need for a person with mass appeal, it joined hands with Pawan Kalyan, brother of megastar and former Union Minister Chiranjeevi.
BJP in-charge for AP V. Muralidhar said they have reactivated party rank and file to have better days ahead. The party is also on a massive membership enrollment drive.
After his appointment as State president of BJP, MLC Somu Veeraiah had launched an aggressive campaign against YSRCP. Though TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu has toned down his attack on BJP and sent feelers for realignment with the saffron party, the Modi-led party wants to strengthen its base in AP without acting as second fiddle.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has recruited many in all 294 assembly Constituencies so as to strengthen Hindutva cause.
In alliance with Jana Sena, BJP is also participating in the panchayat polls.
The party has been criticising YSRCP government for diverting Central funds, renaming some Centrally-funded schemes after YSR, non-execution of Polavaram multipurpose project and trifurcation of capital under the pretext of decentralised development.
The BJP leaders feel that TDP, which was a strong force till 2019 polls, is weakening fast. “We are confident of repeating our success story of Tripura and Assam in AP,” a senior BJP leader told Odisha Channel.
