It is an open secret that a section of BJP leaders in the state are acting as coverts of chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and for years making efforts to create a gulf between TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are now disillusioned as the seat sharing agreement between TDP, Jana Sena and BJP denied them an opportunity to contest in the polls.
With the support of some RSS leaders, who are from the beginning adopting anti- Chandrababu Naidu attitude said to have succeeded in bringing pressure on the BJP high-command, insisting to give seats for ‘hard core’ party leaders, but not those `defected from TDP’. They are even opposing party state president D Purandeswari to contest in the Lok Sabha polls from Rajahmundry.
BJP high-command as deputed party general secretary Vinod Tawde last week to discuss these issues. Who was said to be preparing a new list of party probable candidates, keeping the list prepared by union minister Gajendra Singh Shekwath, prior to that.
In the new list, the RSS lobbyists are particularly lobbying MP seats for GVL Narasimha Rao from Visakhapatnam and Somu Veerraju from Rajahmundry. Presently, Purandeswari was summoned to New Delhi, where the party high-command is discussing with her to make some alterations in the list.
Particularly they are opposing giving MP seats to former MPs Sujana Choudhary, CM Ramesh and others. BJP leaders are also bringing pressure to change assembly segments already allotted to them. Ironically they are insisting constituencies, where they do not have considerable presence also.
Similarly, in Rayalaseema the BJP is insisting on key constituencies like Madanapalle, Srikalahasti and Kadiri, where TDP has a strong presence. “The party leaders are not happy with the seats allotted to them. They are not ready to help the alliance candidates in other seats, if we are not given seats that we can win,’’ a senior leader cautioned.
Key RSS leaders are lobbying that YS Jagan’s coverts should be given preference in seats allocation, ignoring former TDP or those lobbied for alliance with TDP.
