Raghunandan Rao in a spot

HYDERABAD: Internal strife is yet again to the fore in the BJP in the Dubbak Assembly constituency with some party leaders accusing M. Raghunandan Rao, the party MLA of high-handedness and ignoring long-time party leaders and workers.

A group of BJP leaders from the constituency met on Monday in the city to discuss how Raghunandan was ignoring party leaders who have been with the BJP for long, as well as those from the party’s affiliated organisations and instead relying on those who joined the party recently.

It is learnt that they would approach the party leadership at the state level with an allegation that Raghunandan Rao was a BRS ‘covert’ operative in the BJP, and seek action against him with a plea that he not be given the party ticket in the next Assembly elections. Raghunandan Rao had faced similar dissidence in the run up to the Dubbak bypoll in 2020.

At the core of the problem is believed to be, his followers claim is the speculation that there could be a change in the state party leadership with some in the party saying that the Dubbak MLA, along with a couple of others, could be front runners for the state party chief’s position in an expected reshuffle of party’s organisational leadership at the national level, and in some states.

Raghunandan Rao’s followers say that this is a deliberate attempt to malign the reputation of their leader and that those claiming to be in the party and are opposed to him in the constituency, were not associated with the party since 2014, and never worked for the party in the 2014, 2018 elections, or in the 2020 byelection that saw Raghunandan win the Dubbak seat.

When contacted, Raghunandan Rao said he had nothing to say on the issue, but that there were some who were unhappy with his growth in the party who could be behind such moves.