The TDP is virtually heading for an extinction in north-coastal Andhra Pradesh, which had been once its political bastion, if the political developments in the region are any indication.
And the biggest threat to the TDP in these three districts – Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam, comes from not exactly the YSR Congress party, but its erstwhile political ally Bharatiya Janata Party.
While the YSRC has anyway laid solid foundation for its political dominance in these districts by choosing Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, the BJP too is learnt to have sensed a great opportunity to grow as a formidable force in the coming days.
Newly-appointed BJP state president Somu Veerraju recently made an extensive tour in north-coastal Andhra – from Srikakulam to Visakhapatnam and held discussions with the local leaders on strengthening the party.
During his tour, Veerraju chose to target only TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, alleging that the latter had shifted most of the central schemes and projects allotted to Viskhapatnam to Amaravati.
The BJP president is understood to have decided to lure as many senior TDP leaders as possible into his party. Particularly, he has sent messages to influential leaders like Ganta Srinivas Rao to attract him into the BJP.
In the past, too, Veeraju went to the residence of Ganta Srinivasa Rao and invited him into the BJP. This time, he did not meet the former minister but is learnt to have sent message to him to that effect.
Though Ganta made desperate attempts to join the YSRC bypassing the local leaders, they did not work out and now, the doors of the ruling party are almost shut for him. So, the next best option for Ganta is to join the BJP.
In fact, the BJP has a strong hold in Visakhapatnam since ‘90s. The party won the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Mayor post and also won a couple of MLA and MLC seats in the past. BJP candidate Kambhampati Hari Babu had also won the Vizag MP seat in 2014.
Since there are considerable Kapu votes in Vizag, the BJP is hoping to gain hold on the district with the support of Jana Sena. So, if leaders like Ganta joins the BJP, it will further strengthen the party.
Similarly, in Vizianagaram, another former minister and TDP leader Sujaya Krishna Ranga Rao from Bobbili is also said to be looking up to the BJP. Since his close relative C M Ramesh had already joined the BJP, it will make things easy for Sujaya Ranga Rao to switch over to the saffron party.
Other leaders like Meesala Geetha are also being lured into the BJP by the new leadership. If these desert the TDP, the party is virtually finished in the north-coastal Andhra, say analysts.
