Disgruntled BJP leaders ‘persuaded’ to be patient and work for the victory of the party in LS polls

VIJAYAWADA: A day after some disgruntled leaders skipped the party meeting in Vijayawada, the BJP leadership is said to have met a couple of them and persuaded them to be patient and work for the victory of the party candidates in the polls. I t may be recalled that BJP leaders like S Vishnuvardhan Reddy, GVL Narasimha Rao and Somu Veerraju skipped the meeting held by party national general secretary and AP election co-incharge on Tuesday. According to sources, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh and AP election coincharge Sidharth Nath Singh met Vishnuvardhan Reddy and asked him to work for the party. Vishnuvardhan Reddy aspired to contest from either Hindupur Lok Sabha or Kadiri Assembly constituency, but the party denied him both seats.

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Denied tickets, top BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh give key party meeting a miss
Vishnuvardhan Reddy is said to be unhappy over the party leadership giving tickets to those leaders who have joined the party in the past couple of years rather than to those who have been with the party since long. “It is a fact that sincere and committed leaders have been denied a chance to contest the polls. Such leaders cannot leave the party and that is why they are left out, while those who shift loyalties easily are given tickets,’’ a party leader observed.

Sources added that leaders like PVN Madhav and Veerraju have been left out as they neither stage a revolt or leave the party. “Madhav wanted to contest from Anakapalle Lok Sabha seat, but it is learnt that TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has played a key role in getting the ticket to MP CM Ramesh,’’ sources added. Meanwhile, Hindu religious seer Swami Paripoornananda also met the party leaders in Vijayawada. Paripoornanda also aspired to contest the Hindupur Lok Sabha constituency but the BJP’s ally TDP was reluctant to give the seat to the saffron party. Denied ticket, Paripoornanda announced that he would contest as an independent. The seer had taken up various spiritual and service activities in Rayalaseema region and wanted to try his luck in elections. He has been associated with the BJP since a decade.