At last, former minister Kanna Lakshminarayana successfully managed to get the elevation as president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Andhra Pradesh unit.
The party announced Kanna’s name on Sunday, amidst reports that two major parties – the Telugu Desam Party as well as the YSR Congress party have laid trap for him.
At the same time, the party has named firebrand BJP MLC Somu Veerraju, who was earlier tipped for the post of state BJP president, as the convenor of state BJP election committee.
Party sources say the BJP leadership has set aside its fundamental principles for the sake of politics in selecting Kanna as the Andhra BJP president.
First, Kanna belongs to the most powerful Kapu community in the state and it is very much essential for the party to gain control over this community to rein in Telugu Desam Party. Though Somu Veerraju also belongs to Kapu community, Kanna has more hold and is more experienced.
Secondly, Kanna has also very good contacts with the YSR Congress party leaders and can be a good negotiator when it is required for the BJP to hold talks with the YSRC for pre-poll or post-poll alliances.
Thirdly, Kanna has a stronger voice than Veerraju in attacking the TDP. Having been in the Congress party for a long time, he knows the ins and outs of TDP president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu strategies.
May be the party leadership took all these points into consideration before picking up Kanna as the state BJP chief.
