Vijayawada: Decks have been cleared for the appointment of BJP Andhra Pradesh unit’s new president. The present state chief Vizag MP K. Haribabu has sent his resignation letter to party national president Amit Shah.
Former minister Pydikondala Manikyala Rao seems to be the front-runner to the post though there are few more names that are doing rounds in the political circles.
It has not been officially announced, as party affairs in-charge of Andhra Prad-esh, BJP general-secretary Ram Madhav will have a say in picking the new state unit president. He has been overseeing the party activities of Andhra Pradesh and was seen attending important party meetings related to the state in Delhi.
Mr Haribabu was appoi-nted as the BJP Andhra Pradesh chief in March 2014 before the bifurcation of the state and he got an extra year than the normal tenure of three years in any party post as per the BJP norms.
It is learnt that mr Hari-babu was asked by the pa-rty central leadership to put in the papers to pave way for the appointment of the new state chief. Being the election year, there has been an intense race am-ong the BJP state leaders to bag the coveted post. Howe-ver, it will be a daunting and challenging task for any new incumbent with the anti-BJP narrative unl-eashed in Andhra Pradesh by the party’s former ally TD.
The BJP has been looking for a fire brand party president against the soft image Mr Haribabu carries as the Saffron party has been facing a testing time in the state.
Highly placed sources in the party said that the state party president post may go to Kapus this time as they dominate the vote bank in the state, especially in twin Godavari districts.
It is learnt that former minister Pydikondala Man-ikyala Rao has fair chances while other contenders are MLC and party national executive member Somu Veerraju, former state minister and party state core committee member Kanna Lakshminarayana and former Union minister Daggubati Purandheswari.
Though Mr Veerraju has been a strong contender for the post, a faction of the state party unit has been opposing his elevation and Mr Manikyala Rao seems to have emerged as a consensus candidate.
“Mr Haribabu had resig-ned from the party post to pave way for the new state committee. He faxed his resignation letter to national president Amit Shah and thanked him for giving an opportunity to serve the party for four years. The announcement of the new state committee, along with the naming of new state unit president will be done shortly,” a state party office-bearer said.
Meanwhile, Mr Amit Shah said in New Delhi that Mr Haribabu tendered his resignation to pave way for picking the new president for Andhra Pradesh BJP unit.
