In one state, it broke its alliance with the old partner and in the other, it has been maintaining friendly ties. The BJP, which is now eyeing to make inroads in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on its own strength, is strategising to utilise those leaders who defected from the Congress and joined the party after the bifurcation of the state in 2014. The plan is to go aggressive against the ruling parties in both the states.
In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP leadership would bank on the battery of experienced leaders who joined the party in 2014 but were sidelined owing to the BJP’s alliance with the TDP, said sources. As there was a TDP-led coalition in power, the TDP dominated the political scene and decisions, said a senior BJP leader involved with the party’s strategising in the two states. BJP leaders pointed out that a group of former Congress leaders, like Kanna Lakshminarayana, K Sambasiva Rao and D Purandareswar, who enjoy popular support and have won elections, remain unutilised. Leaders in Andhra Pradesh have been claiming that the bifurcation was “injustice” to the state.