GVL, Somu, Satya among absentees in AP BJP meet

* Differences surface in AP BJP leaders 

K Varaprasada Rao

Vijayawada, March 26, 2024: In a notable turn of events, the conspicuous absence of senior BJP leaders at a crucial AP state BJP office-bearers meeting held in Vijayawada on Tuesday, aimed at strategising for the ongoing general elections, has once again brought to light the deep-seated differences among Andhra Pradesh BJP leaders.
Prominent leaders including GVL Narasimha Rao, Somu Veerraju, Y Satya Kumar and Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, who have held national and state-level key posts within the BJP, were notably absent from the meeting. Union Minister Som Prakash, party election observers, and other senior leaders attended the meeting.

This development follows the recent release of the first list of BJP candidates for Andhra Pradesh, comprising six names for MP seats, by the BJP high command on Sunday night. Under the NDA alliance of BJP, Telugu Desam, and Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP has secured six Lok Sabha seats and ten assembly seats for contesting.

AP State BJP president Daggubati Purandeswari has been announced as the party’s candidate for the Rajahmundry Lok Sabha seat, while former Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy will contest from the Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency. Vara Prasad Rao (who joined BJP from YSR Congress), Kothapalli Geetha, CM Ramesh and Bhupathi Srinivasa Varma have been nominated for various Lok Sabha seats.

However, discontentment has been brewing among senior BJP leaders who express unhappiness with the list of MP candidates. They criticise the state BJP’s alleged preference for leaders who have joined from other parties over longstanding party members, as highlighted in a letter sent to the BJP high command a few days prior.

Sources revealed that senior leader GVL Narasimha Rao aspired to contest from the Lok Sabha constituencies of either Visakhapatnam or Anakapalli, Vishnu Vardhan Reddy from the Kadiri Assembly segment, and Somu Veeraju from the Rajahmundry MP segment. Despite their aspirations, their candidature was not considered by the party for the upcoming general elections.

The disgruntled senior BJP leaders accuse the state BJP of favoring leaders who joined from other parties, mainly from Telugu Desam Party post 2019 general elections, leading to a clear divide between migrated leaders and the party’s senior cadre. The alleged dominance of migrated leaders in AP BJP affairs, as per the senior leaders’ allegations, comes at the expense of neglecting the party’s longstanding members.

The resolution of these internal tensions and achieving coordination between the two factions within the party remains a point of intrigue, as the party high command navigates through this critical phase ahead of the general elections.