Kapu, Balija leaders unhappy with AP BJP over denial of tickets

VIJAYAWADA: The dispute over ticket allocation within the Andhra Pradesh BJP seems to be far from being resolved.

Several Kapu and Balija party leaders lodged complaints with the BJP's national leadership regarding the conduct of AP BJP President D Purandeswari. They alleged that, aside from seats allocated to the BJP within the alliance, the Kapu caste has not been accorded due priority in candidate selection, blaming the state leadership for this decision.

State BJP Secretary and Srikalahasti constituency Convener Kola Anand has written a letter to the national leadership condemning the conduct of Party President Purandeswari. The letter has since gone viral on social media platforms.

It was alleged that the Kapu community has not been sufficiently considered in candidate selection in Andhra Pradesh. Previously, the BJP leadership had accorded primary importance to the Kapu caste in the state, making efforts to transform them into a political alternative rather than merely vote banks and steering them towards development through the BJP.

Following the state's bifurcation, Kanna Lakshmi Narayana and Somu Veeraraju from the Kapu community served as presidents of the state BJP party for two terms.

Anand highlighted that while the BJP had been allocated 6 MP and 10 MLA seats within the alliance, it was disappointing that leaders of the Kapu caste in AP have not been granted a single MLA or MP seat in the 2024 general elections. Somu Veerraju has withdrawn from political activities after not securing a ticket.

The Kapu, Balija, and their sub-caste members purportedly constitute 23% of AP's population, with the Srikalahasti Assembly Constituency boasting 16% Kapu and Balija community voters. Consequently, nominating a candidate from the Kapu or Balija castes could have facilitated the BJP's victory in this seat.

Anand urged the BJP's national leadership to address the injustice faced by Kapus within the Andhra Pradesh BJP and maintain the trust of the Kapu community in the state.

The nomination process commenced in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Meanwhile, the BJP has initiated campaigning in the seats acquired through alliances with TDP and Jana Sena.

Nine members of the BJP's state working group had previously penned an open letter expressing concerns that Purandeswari and Chandrababu's actions would lead to losses for the BJP. Recently, another aspirant wrote a letter, causing turmoil within the party.