Jana Sena-backed BJP candidate to contest for Tirupati LS seat

The Bharatiya Janata Party-Jana Sena Party (JSP) alliance resolved to field a candidate from the national party in the byelection for the Tirupati Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant due to the death of YSR Congress MP Balli Durga Prasad Rao in September last.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and BJP Andhra Pradesh affairs in- charge V. Muraleedharan and co-in charge Sunil Deodhar tweeted on Friday that a unanimous decision to have a Jana Sena-backed candidate in the fray was taken at a meeting attended by BJP State president Somu Veerraju and JSP president Pawan Kalyan.

In his message on Twitter, Mr. Muraleedharan said his party’s victory march in Andhra Pradesh would begin from Tirupati and that it was time to put an end to the promotion of selfish interests of the YSR Congress Party and the TDP.

The BJP-JSP combine would expose the shady designs of the two regional satraps that undermined the beliefs of devotees, he stated, suggesting that they were allegedly involved in the attacks on Hindu temples.

Mr. Deodhar and JSP political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar participated in the talks which brought the curtains down on the suspense as to which one of the alliance partners will put up a candidate.