HYDERABAD: With some of its leaders unhappy with the allocation of Lok Sabha tickets to “parachute leaders”, discontent is brewing among veterans in the BJP in Telangana.
Many veterans in the BJP feel sidelined as importance is being given to new arrivals. Several BJP veterans, who have been with the party for over two decades, were hopeful of tickets for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, their aspirations were dashed when the party opted to field newcomers, mainly former MPs and MLAs from the BRS, in constituencies such as Zaheerabad, Adilabad, Nagarkurnool, Mahabubabad, Peddapalli, Warangal and Nalgonda.
This has widened the gaps between veterans and new arrivals in the party, leading to tension among state leadership. In an attempt to mitigate the unrest, the party leadership has reached out to disgruntled veterans, urging them to work in tandem with the candidates and ensure a minimum of eight seats for the party in Telangana.
Among the disgruntled veterans is Adilabad sitting MP Soyam Bapu Rao, who is unhappy at the party’s decision to nominate Godem Nagesh instead of him. Bapu Rao’s dissatisfaction has raised concerns, as the BJP risks losing its stronghold of Adilabad.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Suryapet district president has lodged a complaint against the party’s Nalgonda candidate and former MLA S Saidi Reddy, accusing the latter of harassing him when in the BRS. The district president’s discontent reflects broader discontentment within the party regarding the allocation of tickets to newcomers.