Tirupati bypolls: Sunil Deodhar holds meeting with State BJP leaders

Ahead of the bypolls for Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency, leaders of the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have geared into action.

The Lok Sabha seat in Tirupati fell vacant after YSRCP MP Balli Durga Prasad Rao Garu succumbed to Covid-19 in a private hospital in Chennai. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Tirupati in the 2019 general election as a member of the YSR Congress Party. The YSRCP leadership is banking on sympathy vote by allocating the Tirupati ticket to one of the members of Balli Durga Prasad.

On Saturday, BJP Andhra Pradesh affairs in-charge Sunil Deodhar had a hush-hush meeting with the state BJP leaders including party president Somuraju Veeraju, Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, Kanna Laxminarayana among others and chalked out the strategy to be adopted in the upcoming Lok Sabha bypoll in Tirupati. The BJP has decided to have a political truck with Jana Sena Party led by Pawan Kalyan.

Sources said the BJP is likely to focus on the increasing attacks on Hindu temples and raise issues like the gutting of the chariot at Antarvedi, chariot burning in a temple in Bitragunta in Nellore, the vandalisation of Nandi idol in the 12th century Kasi Visweswara Swamy temple at Makkapeta in Chittoor and the attack on Shiva temple in Agara Mangalam village in Gangadhara Nellore Mandal of Chittoor district. among others.

Further, the BJP is likely to corner the ruling YSRCP government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy in attempts to dilute the age-old practices in Tirumala. The BJP may focus on the controversial decisions taken by the TTD Board with regard to the proposed sale of Sri Vari assets in Tamil Naidu, deviating from the age-old practice of signing declaration form if the devotee happens to be a non-Hindu. TTD chairman Subba Reddy, maternal uncle of Jagan Mohan Reddy, had allowed the Chief Minister to enter the abode of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala without signing the mandatory declaration form. The state BJP will also focus on the TTD’s move to invest the Tirumala funds in central government securities, stocks or debentures.

“In order to understand the ground realities, continuously listening to karyakartas & leaders & taking their feedback on the situations are of utmost importance. Had a one-on-one conversation with Karyakartas of Tirupati organisational district of @BJP4Andhra,” tweeted Sunil Deodhar soon after meeting the state BJP leaders and activists.

The central BJP has recently appointed Somraju Veeraju, a Kapu, to consolidate its base among the community, which has a large population in the Andhra Pradesh, while the two regional parties in the State — the YSRC and TDP — have their support base among the Reddy and Kamma community respectively.