'Tirupati bye-poll result will be similar to Dubbaka and GHMC’: Telangana BJP president
Telangana BJP president and Member of Parliament Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Monday said that the result of the Tirupati Lok Sabha bye-election in Andhra Pradesh would follow the pattern of the Dubbaka bye-poll and Hyderabad local polls in Telangana. The BJP had won the Dubbaka bypoll and emerged as the second largest party in the recent GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) polls.
Addressing the voters of Andhra Pradesh, in a divisive statement, he asked whether they would vote for those who follow Hindu or Christian teachings, alluding to Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s faith.
He questioned the people of Andhra Pradesh if they want to vote for the party which allegedly describes the presiding deity of Tirumala as 'rendu kondavalavada govinda' (God of two hills) or they will vote for the BJP which is for 'yedu kondalavada venkataramana govinda' (God of seven hills). Sanjay was referring to the Tirumala Venkateswara temple, and was alluding to the ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh.
"You have to give a slap in the face of pseudo-secular people," said the MP while addressing the voters of Andhra Pradesh. Bandi Sanjay's comments come at a time when Andhra Pradesh is witnessing multiple alleged attacks on temples, and the opposition parties are rallying against the ruling YSRCP accusing them of failing to protect temples.
These developments assume significance as the yet to be scheduled Tirupati Parliamentary bye-election is in the offing, after the sitting MP Balli Durga Prasad’s recent demise.
All eyes are on the Tirupati bye-election, where BJP and Jana Sena Party, as well as the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) want to test their political fortunes, even as the incumbent YSRCP aims to retain it.
TDP has already declared Panabaka Lakshmi as its candidate for the scheduled caste (SC) reserved constituency bye-poll, while YSRCP is believed to have zeroed in on the candidate but has not yet disclosed the name. Meanwhile it is not clear whether a Jana Sena candidate will be allowed to contest or its ally, the BJP will put forth its own man.
"Communal politics never had a place in Andhra Pradesh, where non-local leaders such as Bandi Sanjay are attempting to inject that poisonous mindset with inflammatory speeches," a YSRCP leader from West Godavari district told IANS. He expressed hope that the common man will reject BJP's ideology.