LS POLLS: Tough fight between Purandeswari and GVL for Vizag party ticket

Visakhapatnam: “We conquered the Moon… now we want the Sun … Modi 4 World and 'GVL 4 Vizag.” With these slogans, BJP Rajya Sabha member GVL Narasimha has begun flexing his muscles in the city. His team is erecting such huge billboards.

The underlying message is that GVL wants to enter the Lok Sabha from Vizag. He started in politics here a year ago. Vizag is not his hometown. He occasionally comes to the city and makes some public appearances. However, state BJP president Purandheshwari is also eyeing an MP seat.

Previously a Vizag MP and Union Minister, she aims to re-enter the fray here in the coming parliament polls.

In 2009, Purandheshwari contested and won the Visakha Lok Sabha seat. She went on to become a Union Minister. In 2014, she contested from Rajampet and faced defeat. In 2019, she fought the polls for Lok Sabha from Vizag but got only 33,000 votes.

Since 2019, however, Purandheshwari held various responsibilities as a national general secretary for the BJP and as Mahila Morcha in charge. Her focus shifted from Vizag.

In this scenario, GVL stepped in and focussed on Vizag. The recent positioning of Purandheshwari as the state president prompts her to make a fresh attempt to the Lok Sabha from Vizag.

Considering her present clout, chances are that the party central leadership would give her the prime seat of Vizag. GVL is palpably worried over this.

Sensing a challenge to his position, GVL has increased the frequency of his visits to Vizag. The success of Chandrayaan 3 gave him an opportunity to hold forth. His men set up huge hoardings in Vizag city to hail the feat. They also set up special hoardings in Jagadamba Centre, Railway Station, Muralinagar and many other intersections, wishing success for the Aditya L1 project as well as for GVL’s ‘promotion’ to Lok Sabha.

Vizag BJP sources say, “These billboards carry a big message. A political tug of war is in the making between the state party chief and GVL.”