Hyderabad The Telugu Desam-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance is back on track with the leaders of both the parties affirming their commitment to work together to ensure electoral victory in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
State BJP spokesperson Sudhish Rambotla said on Saturday that the party had changed its candidates in five assembly constituencies as per the suggestions of TDP.
N. Venkat Rao is the BJP’s new candidate from Narsaraopeta assembly constituency in Guntur district.
Santanutalapadu, Guntakal, Kodumur and Tadepalligudem are the other four constituencies where the BJP is changing its candidates. “But there will be no change in the list of Lok Sabha candidates of the party”, he added.
The alliance seems to have also overcome the problem of dissidence. The BJP leader, Raghurama Krishnam Raju, who was hoping for party’s ticket from Narsapuram Lok Sabha constituency, said he will remain loyal to the party.
Krishnam Raju was angry ever since the BJP, ignoring his claim, nominated a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ganga Raju from Narsapuram. At one stage he had threatened to contest as a rebel candidate and had even filed nomination.
“Though the BJP leadership had supported me, ticket could not come to me because of intervention of some other organisation”, he said. Krishnam Raju promised to work for the victory of the BJP-TDP alliance in Narsapuram.
Meanwhile, D. Purandeswari, another Lok Sabha candidate of the BJP, filed her nomination from Rajampeta in Kadapa district. Senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu was present with her. Her candidature had also created problems in the alliance of the two parties as the TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu was unhappy with BJP’s choice of candidate.
As Saturday was the last day of filing papers in 25 Lok Sabha and 175 assembly constituencies in Seemandhra, there was a last-minute rush of candidates.
Meanwhile, all eyes are now focused on the visit of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendar Modi to Telangana on Tuesday. Modi is scheduled to address rallies in four places in the region, including Hyderabad.
Senior BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya said that Telugu film star Pawan Kalyan will also share the dais with Modi. Dattatreya, who met Pawan Kalyan in Hyderabad yesterday, said the actor will decide his election campaign programme after Modi’s visit.
Chandrababu Naidu will also address the Hyderabad rally along with Modi. However, he was not likely to participate in the rallies at other places in Telangana.