The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : BJP shocked at rout

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 14, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

BJP shocked at rout

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MAY 13. The State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit is truly a worried lot. At one stroke, its electoral fortunes - at least for the next five years -- have been dashed to the ground.

From seven members of the Lok Sabha in 1999, including three Union Ministers -- Bandaru Dattatreya, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, U.V. Krishnam Raju -- the party's representation from the State in the Lok Sabha 2004 is zero.

As for its strength in the Assembly, it had 12 seats in 1999, but is now down to two. G. Kishen Reddy and P. Dora Babu, managed to win in Himayatnagar and Pithapuram.

As for the BJP national president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, it was the first election in his native State, after he took over reins of the party. The party fared badly, both in his native district of Nellore and the State in general. The `India Shining' campaign, the `Feel Good' factor, the `foreign origin' of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and the stable leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, have all fallen flat, is what everyone feels.

Also, the State BJP president, N. Indrasena Reddy, a member in the last Assembly, lost for the Nalgonda Lok Sabha seat, to the CPI candidate, Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy. "We thought the results of the Assembly will not have a bearing on the Lok Sabha results.

We were very confident that our development approach will continue to go well with the people," the Mr. Indrasena Reddy told The Hindu, adding that the people's anger with the local Government and the lure of the Congress - like free power and waiver of power bill arrears, had worked against the BJP.

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Andhra Pradesh