VIJAYAWADA: For the BJP, the Tirupati parliament by-election, likely to be notified shortly, will be more of a litmus test for its expansion in Andhra Pradesh. With their counterparts in Telangana springing a surprise by winning the Dubbaka assembly bypoll recently, the party leaders in Andhra Pradesh hope to replicate the strategies in Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency, towards which the BJP is also “ideologically inclined”, according to the party leaders.
The BJP has devised a three-pronged strategy, including the slogan ‘Tirumala Rakshinchalante BJP Tirupati Gelavalanthe’ (To save Tirumala, BJP has to win Tirupati), to make the upcoming bypoll a triangular contest, if not clinch it.
The saffron brigade in the last one year has been vocal about various issues pertaining to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and has been accusing the YSRC government of being an “anti-Hindu” regime. But the “ideological soft corner” will not be the only poll plank, the party said.
“Tirupati constituency will not benefit if the YSRC or TDP wins. The BJP, on the other hand, has always been there for the development of the constituency. We will be able to bring more Central assistance. Secondly, our slogan is “Tirumalani Rakshinchalante, Tirupati BJP Gelavalanthe”. Both the regional parties have misused the temple funds and have no regard for the Dharmic traditions. And thirdly, wave of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had visited the temple on multiple occasions indicating his respect for the place,” state general secretary S Vishnu Vardhan Reddy explained.
While the party candidate is yet to be finalised, it is learnt that the BJP and Jana Sena would field a joint candidate. Around 15 names are under consideration and a call will be taken by the BJP national parliamentary board. Leaders from both Chittoor and Nellore districts are being considered as Tirupati parliamentary constituency has three assembly segments from Chittoor and four segments from Nellore.
A list is likely to be sent to the board after a coordination meeting to be held shortly by both the parties headed by MLC Somu Veerraju and actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan. Since Pawan Kalyan’s brother K Chiranjeevi had won from Tirupati as an MLA in 2009, the BJP is also hoping to get an additional advantage as the Jana Sena is backing its candidate.
The party leaders have been camping in Tirupati for almost a month now and have chalked out an elaborate plan for campaign. Party state co-incharge Sunil Deodhar, along with state chief Somu Veerraju, already visited the temple city and launched a scathing attack on the ruling and opposition leaders. Other national leaders are also scheduled to come to the temple city in the coming weeks.
But, for a party, which has no strong cadre base, it is unlikely to replicate a Dubbaka especially with the YSRC winning it twice consecutively in 2014 and 2019. The saffron party is well aware of it and is seeing the bypoll as a litmus test for its expansion in the State. For the record, in 2019, BJP’s candidate managed to secure a mere 16,125 votes, much less than NOTA (25,781 votes), Congress (24,039 votes) and BSP (20,971 votes), out of the 15.47 lakh votes.
Historically, the BJP has won from a reserved SC constituency like Tirupati, which has gone for polls 16 times since 1952, only once, in 1999. In 2014, it had finished a close second after the YSRC. However, in both 1999 and 2014, the BJP was in alliance with the TDP and Tirupati was given to the former.
The BJP State leaders, however, are confident of making a mark this time. “It will definitely be a triangular contest. We may have had an alliance in 1999 and 2014, but in 2004 and 1998, we were first and second runner-ups respectively. There is some base and we are in the process of strengthening it,” said another senior leader.
