BJP Virtually Splits into Two Groups in AP

The discontent among the Andhra Pradesh BJP leaders was quite visible when the party high command picked a few candidates and dropped others for the ensuing assembly elections in the state. 

The gap further widened when the ‘four BJP leaders’ skipped the BJP state office bearers’ meeting which was chaired by party chief and former Union Minister D Purandeswari. Their conspicuous absence at the important meeting has become the latest buzz within the saffron party. The meeting was held to chalk out a plan for upcoming elections. 

The BJP leadership could not accommodate more party leaders as the party is contesting the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the TDP and Jana Sena Party. Under the seat-sharing agreement, it has been allotted six Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats.
 
It is said the Andhra BJP has virtually split into pro-TDP and pro-BJP factions. Today’s crucial meeting was attended by AP Election In-charge and national general secretary Arun Singh and National  Joint General Secretary Shiva Prakash and the contestants. However, Somu Veerraju, GVL Narasimha Rao, Vishnu Vardhan Reddy and Satya Kumar gave a miss to the meeting. Notably, the party has denied the tickets to them. 

The BJP loyalists are not happy with the fact that party leadership has given five out of six Lok Sabha seats to candidates who jumped ship ahead of elections. While 80 percent assembly seats have been given to a particular community.

Former state BJP chief Somu Veerraju is disappointed that the high command rejected his candidature. Meanwhile, reports suggest that the party might field Satya Kumar from Dharmavaram assembly seat while Somu will be asked to contest the assembly elections from Anaparthi constituency. 

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