Anantapur: Revolt in BJP Over Selection of Candidates

 Anantapur: BJP faces major dissidence in Dharmavaram and Badvel, where its ticket aspirants are now threatening to contest the elections as Independents.

Former MLA G Suryanarayana was in a state of shock as the party announced his name as the candidate from Dharmavaram and was later denied ticket. Following a threat from TD incharge Paritala Sriram, the BJP high command announced the name of Satya Kumar as the candidate for the constituency.

Satyakumar is a senior party leader but a non- local. Suryanarayana is now planning to contest the polls as an Independent in Dharmavaram. He has also revealed plans to field his close associate as an Independent from Raptadu assembly segment, to damage the electoral prospects of Paritala Sunitha.

“Suryanarayana had made all the preparations and launched the election campaign as the BJP candidate in Dharmavaram. The Paritala group resisted this, following which the BJP changed the candidate. Suryanarayana’s supporters removed all the flexi boards and banners a couple of days ago and are now resolved to prove the party wrong in Dharmavaram and in Raptadu,” party sources said.

Similarly, the BJP ticket aspirant for Badvel constituency, Vanathala Suresh, sharply criticised the party high command over “unfair selection of candidates.” A candidate with no party base was given the ticket for the Badvel SC reserved segment, it was alleged.

“I have been with the BJP since my school days and faced many cases. Now, the BJP state leaders seem to be selling the ticket to a non-party person in Badvel. We will resist this,” he announced.

He also alleged that many of those to whom the BJP issued tickets this time were Chandrababu Naidu’s close aides and not the traditional leaders of the BJP.

The Rayalaseema, Dharmavaram, Badvel and Jammalamadugu assembly segments and the Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency have been allotted to the BJP under the 3-party alliance format this time. Former TD minister Adinarayana Reddy, who had joined the BJP after the YSRC was voted to power, got the ticket for the Jammalamadugu seat. His close relative, Bhupesh Reddy, is theTD candidate for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat.

Bhupesh Reddy, though he had differences with uncle Adinarayana Reddy, made serious efforts to get the ticket for Jammalamadugu. However, the TD high command announced Bhupesh Reddy as the alliance’s Kadapa LS candidate against sitting MP, YS Avinash Reddy, of the YSRC.