VIJAYAWADA: Ahead of Tirupati byelection, Bharatiya Janata Party Andhra Pradesh State president Somu Veerraju said the party plans to make its alliance partner Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Veerraju’s remark comes in the wake of reports that the JSP rank and file is not extending its full support to the BJP in the run-up to the bypoll.
“Narendra Modi has great respect for Pawan Kalyan. During 2014 elections, Modi, who was tipped to be the next Prime Minister then, addressed seven public meetings in the State along with Pawan Kalyan,” Veerraju said, adding that Modi told them that Pawan should be given great respect and taken care of like a flower.
Veerraju made these remarks at a coordination meeting held between BJP and JSP leaders in Tirupati late Saturday. In fact, the JSP which wanted to contest the byelection to the SC reserved Tirupati Lok Sabha seat following the death of sitting YSRC MP Balli Durgaprasad Rao. The BJP, which wanted to prove itself as an alternative to both YSRC and TDP in the State, too pitched for contesting the seat.
Finally, after a series of deliberations, it was decided that BJP would contest the bypoll. This is said to have created dissent in the JSP rank and file, which could make its presence felt in the recent elections to the urban local bodies in the State, whereas the BJP could not put up a decent fight.
BJP candidate K Ratna Prabha, soon after her candidature was announced, met Pawan Kalyan in Hyderabad and sought his support for her victory in the byelection. Veerraju’s remarks, however, triggered a war of words with YSRC MP V Vijayasai Reddy tweeting, “The BJP is acting like Pawan Kalyan will become Chief Minister, even if they do not get deposits in the byelection. Don’t try to put ‘cabbage flower’ in the ears of people (don’t try to fool people).”