VIJAYAWADA: With just about 20 days left for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the State, the BJP State unit has decided to once again rope in its campaigners Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national president Amit Shah to boost its prospects. While Modi is expected to address two public meetings, Shah is likely to hold four meetings.
“PM Modi will kick-start the election campaign next week with a meeting in the Rayalaseema region, either in Kurnool or Anantapur districts. The Prime Minister’s Office will send the detailed plan in a day or two. The PM will address two meetings in the State and we will plan more, if time permits. Amit Shah will participate in four public meetings. Union ministers will address campaign rallies,” a senior party member explained. The second meeting of the PM is likely to be held in Vizianagaram.
The BJP, which deployed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the Telangana elections, will once again use his services for polls in AP as well. Party sources said that the UP CM is likely to interact with the public in two-three meetings.
While the Union ministers are expected to begin canvassing from March 24, Modi and Shah are expected to visit the State after the completion of filing of nominations by the party candidates.
Even though the poll fight in Andhra Pradesh is predominantly among TDP, YSRC and Jana Sena, BJP wants to gain as much votes as possible. The poll campaign of the party will also be driven with the same agenda. It may be recalled that the BJP, with TDP and Jana Sena as its allies in 2014, garnered a vote share of 7.2 per cent (Lok Sabha) and over 2 per cent (Assembly).
The saffron party, which is fighting alone in all 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha segments in 2019, aims to better its position. “The political campaign is being strategised with an aim to get as much vote share as possible. We will announce the schedule of the campaign soon,” another party leader noted. The campaign of the BJP would mostly revolve around the “misgovernance” of the TDP.
Vangaveeti Narendra joins BJP
Vijayawada: Vangaveeti Narendra, son of Vangaveeti Ranga’s brother Narayana Rao, joined the BJP in the presence of the party State president Kanna Lakshminarayana in Guntur on Tuesday. Speaking on the occasion, Narendra said that he was impressed with the progressive policies of the Modi government. Narendra recently staged a protest in Vijayawada questioning Vangaveeti Radhakrishna’s decision of joining the TDP, which he alleged was behind the killing of Ranga.