NIZAMABAD: In what is being seen as a surprise development, BJP national leadership is mulling the idea of changing the president of the party’s state unit. According to sources, the party’s leadership wants to hand over the responsibility of running the unit to a leader from outside the capital. In view of this development, there is talk among the local leaders of the party’s plan to pick a senior leader and former MLA Yendala Laxminarayana as their State unit chief, a post currently occupied by K Laxman.
Yendala, a native of Nizamabad, had previously served as an MLA twice. He was party’s in-charge of Adilabad district where its candidate Soyam Bapu Rao won the MP seat in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP is set to start its membership drive on June 23. And the party is also scheduled to completed the process of its organisational elections by December 25. The party’s national president has the powers to appoint the chiefs of State units.
Apart from Secunderabad MP G Kishan Reddy, other three BJP MPs in the State, are from outside the capital city and they belong to BC and ST communities. A section of party leaders have reportedly told the national leadership that this is the right time to develop and strengthen the party outside Hyderabad.
A senior leader said, “Last time also the party, without going for organisational election, unanimously appointed Laxman as State unit chief. Time is right for the party to discuss Yendala’ candidature for the State president’s post. We hope that this time he gets chance even though he seems to be having differences with newly elected MP D Aarvind,’’ a senior leader said.