Daggubati Purandeswari, the daughter of popular actor and former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao, the founder of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), has been appointed as the BJP’s Andhra Pradesh president on Tuesday. She replaces Somu Veerraju, a loyalist of the party.
This change comes amidst ongoing factional conflicts within the Telangana BJP state unit, where G. Kishan Reddy replaced Bandi Sanjay. The BJP projects these changes as mere routine leadership changes in Telangana.
The selection of Purandeswari in Andhra Pradesh is intriguing. What political message is the BJP trying to send out by handing over the reins to her?
Is there a long-term strategy at play?
Although the BJP has never been particularly strong in Andhra Pradesh, the party’s position further deteriorated after 2014 due to its indecisiveness on critical issues such as bifurcation dues and unfulfilled promises, including the Special Category Status (SCS). This weakness was evident in the 2019 elections, where the party garnered a mere 0.84% of the vote share, falling behind NOTA, which secured 1.28%.
Due to the political polarisation between the TDP and the YSR Congress, there is little room for the BJP in the state. Even its attempts at social engineering by aligning with Kapu leader Pawan Kalyan seem to have failed, as the actor-politician decided to align with the TDP to prevent a split in opposition votes.
“As far as we are concerned, her appointment will not impact any of our alliance plans,” said TDP spokesperson K. Pattabhi to The Wire.
So why appoint Purandeswari now?
Some clues can be found in the comments made by G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and a potential candidate for the Visakhapatnam parliamentary seat in 2024.
In an interview with political analyst K. Nageshwar a few months ago, he stated, “We don’t want to be a third wheel and settle for token representation in Andhra Pradesh. We believe that after the 2024 elections, either the TDP or the YSRCP will significantly weaken. As a party seeking expansion, we aim to fill that void. There is nothing wrong with that.”
Is TDP the target?
According to Nageshwar, this is a long-term strategy to drive a wedge within the TDP. He stated, “The BJP’s strategy is to split other parties for their own benefit. The recent case of NCP in Maharashtra is an example. They did this to Shiv Sena with Eknath Shinde. They orchestrated the OPS-EPS split in AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. They encouraged R.C.P. Singh to do the same in the JDU. They first used Chirag Paswan against Nitish Kumar and then abandoned him.”
He further added that Purandeswari’s appointment would benefit the ruling YSRCP as she would naturally attract TDP votes due to her connection with NTR. TDP spokesperson Pattabhi, on the other hand, believes that Purandeswari’s appointment fills a void in the BJP.
“From the beginning, they lacked mass appeal. They wanted to court Pawan Kalyan, but that doesn’t seem to be working. So, I think Purandeswari is a good choice. As NTR’s daughter, she has some mass appeal and also brings experience as a two-term Union minister with the UPA,” he told The Wire.
When asked about the possibility of Purandeswari splitting TDP votes, Pattabi disagreed with Nageshwar’s assessment, stating that NTR’s popularity is not limited to one caste or party. Regarding Narasimha Rao’s comments on BJP’s plans to expand, he mentioned that it is nearly impossible to wipe out the TDP.
“The BJP will not expand by destroying the TDP or any other party. They need to connect with the people and address issues like SCS and the privatisation of the Vizag steel plant. Poaching leaders will not help them,” he explained.
Despite denying that this move is a direct consequence of the meeting between Chandrababu Naidu and Amit Shah a few weeks ago, Pattabhi added that Purandeswari’s appointment would foster improved coordination and relations between the TDP and BJP.
TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu with Amit Shah. Photo: Facebook/Amit Shah.
Nageshwar, the political analyst, has a different perspective. “Naidu and Purandeswari do not see eye to eye. After her father was humiliated by Naidu, she joined the Congress party. After bifurcation, she joined the BJP. If everything was fine between the two, why would she join a party that has no presence in the Telugu states? If she had joined the TDP, she could have at least become a minister,” he told The Wire.
Late N. Harikrishna, the father of RRR star Jr. NTR, and Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, Purandeswari’s husband, were once aligned with Naidu in the now infamous ‘coup’ of 1995. However, they were later side-lined and went on to form ‘Anna TDP,’ which didn’t achieve much success. Afterwards, Purandeswari joined the Congress and won from Bapatla and Visakhapatnam parliamentary constituencies in 2004 and 2009.
Devulapalli Amar, the national spokesperson of the YSRCP, believes that the BJP’s appointment of Purandeswari signifies their reluctance to align with the TDP in the upcoming elections. “By appointing her, the BJP is attempting to benefit from NTR’s legacy. Furthermore, this move will also divide TDP votes, especially among the Kamma community,” he told The Wire.
Recently, the TDP celebrated the birth centenary of NTR and renewed their demand for the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, to be bestowed upon him. “Jr. NTR recently met Amit Shah. Now with Purandeswari’s appointment, considering GVL’s comments, it is likely that the TDP is the target. Don’t be surprised if NTR is awarded the Bharat Ratna next year,” quipped Nageshwar.
The Wire reached out to Narasimha Rao and Purandeswari for their comments. Both were unavailable.
