VIJAYAWADA: In a surprising development, the BJP national leadership appointed former Union minister and daughter of TDP founder NT Rama Rao, Daggubati Purandeswari, as the party’s new State unit president by replacing Somu Veerraju.
There was a significant buzz among party insiders about the possibility of national secretary Y Satya Kumar taking over as the State unit president. However, the top brass picked Purandeswari even as Somu Veerraju, who faced complaints about not being able to take everyone along with him, especially leaders such as former State BJP chief Kanna Lakshminarayana, who switched over to the TDP in February.
A section of leaders was unhappy with the functioning style of Veerraju as they felt the latter failed to strengthen the party. “It is quite common that people complain against others in politics,” Veerraju replied when asked about his ouster. He congratulated Purandeswari on the occasion and assured them to work sincerely for the party. With her appointment, Purandeswari has become the most prominent national leader in the State BJP.
Apart from belonging to the NTR family, she is known for her gruelling political groundwork. With her experience as national president of Mahila Morcha and in charge of the Odisha BJP unit, she is a leader who can strengthen the party at the grassroots level.
With JSP chief Pawan Kalyan and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu seeking to forge an alliance with the BJP to counter the YSRC ahead of the upcoming polls, Purandeswari is expected to put aside old differences and play a key role in shaping the alliance and helping the BJP gain a foothold in the State.
Interestingly, Purandeswari had supported Naidu when they together dethroned former Chief Minister NT Rama Rao during the 1996 ‘coup’ in the TDP. After taking control of the party, Naidu completely sidelined her. Upset by the development, she made her political entry by joining Congress in 2004.
The first two times she was elected as MP—in 2004 and 2009—she battled it out with the TDP. In 2014, she contested from Rayalaseema, a region untouched by the BJP. But she could not win Rajampet and Vizag Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 and 2019 polls respectively.
Her husband, Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, who is in YSRC, too lost the election from the Paruchuru Assembly segment in 2019 despite the strong wave in favour of YSRC. Purandeswari, who has always distanced herself from the TDP and its chief, carries the legacy of former chief minister NT Rama Rao.
Hailing from the Kamma community, Purandeswari’s appointment breathed a new lease of life into the saffron party as she is likely to attract the Kamma leaders from TDP ahead of the 2024 elections. The BJP, which had appointed a Kapu leader during the past two terms, had opted for a woman leader from the Kamma community.
Purandeswari happens to be the first woman to head the party after the division of the State. The development can be seen as a huge setback for the TDP and its supremo Chandrababu Naidu, who rides high on the legacy of NTR. The BJP, with Purandeswari holding its reins in the State, can now claim the legacy of the NTR, which is likely to prove detrimental to the TDP in the next elections.
Political career at a glance
1996: Purandeswari backed Naidu and dethroned NT Ramarao as chief minister during ‘coup’ in the TDP
2004: Jumped into active politics by joining Congress along with her husband
Won her maiden polls to LS from Bapatla
2009: Won the second election to Lok Sabha from Visakhapatnam
Served as a junior minister in the Union cabinet under UPA regime
2014: Joined BJP in protest against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh
Kiran finds place in BJP nat’l executive
Meanwhile, the last Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, N Kiran Kumar Reddy, has been appointed as a member of the party’s national executive committee