VIJAYAWADA: BJP circles are abuzz with speculation that MLC Somu Veerraju will be made president of the party state unit sooner than later.With incumbent K Haribabu likely to be taken into the Union Cabinet when Prime Minister Narendra Modi reconstitutes it, Somu Veeraraju might step into the Visakhapatnam MP’s shoes.
According to reliable sources, party chief Amit Shah might take a decision on Veeraraju’s appointment during his visit to Vijayawada later this month. The party might favour him as he belongs to the numerically strong Kapu community whose support the BJP might require in the 2019 elections.
With the TDP and the YSRC trying to woo Kapu voters in the coastal districts, the BJP too wants to take the plunge and win as many Kapus as possible to its side.Interestingly, it was Veeraraju who played a key role in persuading Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan to campaign for the BJP-TDP combine in 2014 general election.
He may once again be tasked to take the support of the film actor who belongs to Kapu community, whether the BJP fights election in 2019 on its own or in alliance with the TDP. Veeraraju is seen as Naidu’s vocal critic. This is the reason which makes Veeraraju’s supporters suspect that Naidu might put a spoke in the party’s effort to kick him upstairs.