NTR’s daughter Purandeswari as new BJP chief signals shift in caste dynamics in AP
In a pragmatic move, the BJP has appointed Daggubati Purandeswari, the daughter of NT Rama Rao, the legendary actor and founder of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), as the president of the Andhra Pradesh unit.
In a way, it is a departure because, for the first time, a woman has been chosen to lead the party. Purandeswari’s appointment is also an indication that the BJP wants to rely more on caste rather than Hindutva to survive in a state ridden with caste politics.
The BJP has been under the impression that the survival of the party is not possible unless it wins over an influential caste in Andhra Pradesh. The party doesn’t want to experiment with the idea of social justice by appointing an Other Backward Class (OBC) or Scheduled Caste (SC) leader as the president under the influence of demographic claims.
A calculated move by the BJP?
Since the state politics is now dominated by two strong regional parties, YSR Congress and the TDP, owned by Reddys and Kammas respectively, the BJP tried to lure the third influential caste Kapu into its fold. It appointed two Kapu leaders, Kanna Lakshminarayana and Somu Veerraju, as state presidents in the past four years. This experiment fizzled out as none of them showed signs of bringing the caste close to the BJP.
Also read: Pawan Kalyan’s Kapu caste trouble in battleground Andhra Pradesh
Actor-politician and Kapu member Pawan Kalyan’s attempt to position his Jana Sena as Kapu party has become a stumbling block for the BJP’s popularity among Kapus. So, the saffron party is forced to come back to Kammas with a new and benign face.
Dr. Anjireddy, an associate professor of political science at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, stated the appointment of Purandeswari as the state BJP president appears to be a well-thought-out plan with a long-term perspective. He said that her appointment had the potential to become a disadvantage to the Telugu Desam Party if there was no alliance between the BJP and the TDP for the 2024 election.
“Andhra politics is polarized on caste lines between Reddys and Kammas. In the recent past, the hostility between Reddy and Kamma castes has sharpened as never before. The TDP lost power to YSR Congress in 2019. A second defeat for the TDP in 2024 will be disastrous. Following TDP’s crushing defeat in the 2019 election, many MLAs and MPs left the party to join YSR Congress and the BJP. A second defeat will have more serious consequences. Especially, the elite of the caste will look for another sanctuary. The BJP appears to be getting ready to lure the Kammas by appointing Purandeswari in such an eventuality,” Dr Reddy said.
Banking on NTR’s legacy
Earlier, Kamma leaders such as M Venkaiah Naidu and Prof Haribabu could not succeed in attracting their community members in the face of a strong TDP. The party settled down to be at the mercy of the TDP. The situation changed after the advent of aggressive YS Jaganmohan Reddy and his successful consolidation of the Reddys.
With a comfortable relationship with the Centre, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party is hopeful of returning to power in 2024. This confidence is totally amiss in Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP. So, he has been desperately trying to have a tie-up with the BJP on one side and the Jana Sena Party on the other. Purandeswari’s appointment is viewed by many commentators as the BJP’s signal to the TDP that there won’t be any alliance.
Also read: As electoral demographics shift, Jagan govt goes big on schemes for women
The BJPs’ game plan appears to be to demolish the TDP with the help of the daughter of its founder, said a senior journalist from Vijayawada. “The BJP looks more interested in the post-poll scenario. If TDP were to be defeated in 2024, it might either open floodgates for desertions or lead to a split. Exploiting such an eventuality with the help of NTR’s daughter is the best option for the BJP when organic growth is unrealizable,” he said on condition of anonymity.
Will Purandeswari herald a new chapter?
But the TDP’s politburo member and former minister Kalava Srinivasulu dismissed the appointment of D Purandeswari as a matter of no consequence. How would her new post help bring about a change when her long association with the BJP in various capacities failed to improve its fortunes in the state? he asked.
“It is natural for any party to devise new strategies to reach out to the people. The BJP now wants to bank on the legacy of NTR by appointing his daughter as state unit president. But NTR’s legacy has been with the TDP and nobody can wrest it. At best, it helps her in the constituency she consents to a certain extent,” Srinivasulu said.
On the other hand, BJP state general secretary S Vishnu Vardhan Reddy is full of hope that Purandeswari’s appointment will certainly herald a new chapter for the BJP. “People have been watching YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s government for over four years. As for the TDP, people have already rejected it in 2019. The dissatisfaction over Jagan is all pervasive,” Reddy said.
“Purandeswari is the daughter of the legendary NTR. She has vast experience as a central Minister and as an MP. She worked as the chief of the women wing of the BJP. All these factors will definitely help reposition the BJP as the alternative force in AP,” he added.
