Why BJP Scouting For Mudragada Padmanabham?

The BJP state president Somu Veerraju met veteran kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham in a bid to woo him into the saffron fold. Somu Veerraju earlier called on Mudragada immediately after assuming the charge as Andhra Pradesh BJP chief. This is not an isolated development. It’s part of a BJP’s larger plan to rally behind the Kapus, who constitute a decisive vote share in 30 to 40 assembly segments in 175 member state legislature.

The BJP success formulae has been a combination of aggressive Hindutva and adept social engineering. In Uttar Pradesh, the party has mobilized non-Yadav OBCs and non-chamar Dalits. In Bihar too, the party focused on upper caste and the non-Yadav OBCs. The Lingayat vote has been the backbone of BJP’s success in Karnataka. The party is trying hard to rally vanniyars in Tamil Nadu. The saffron alliance in Kerala embraced Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) that claims to represent Ezhava community.

Thus in Andhra Pradesh, known for caste-based political mobilisations, the BJP is vying for the kapu vote. The TDP and the YCP largely rally Kammas and Reddys respectively, while the OBCs have been the vote bank of former and dalits and minorities constitute a significant support base of ruling YSRCP.

Given this caste-based political arithmetic, the BJP’s social engineering model is focussing on the kapu vote.

The choice of Kanna Lakshminarayana and Somu Veerraju as state party chief illustrate the social engineering of the saffron party. Besides, the party tied with Pawan Kalyan led Jana Sena which has strong support, especially among kapu youth.

Apart from this social engineering, the BJP especially under Somu Veerraju is launching an aggressive Hindutva campaign in the recent past. The party hopes to make a breakthrough in the state which otherwise proves to be difficult terrain for it.

The BJP in Andhra Pradesh got votes lesser than the NOTA indicating the level of people’s disenchantment with the saffron brigade. The BJP was a partner in what people in Andhra Pradesh believed to an arbitrary bifurcation of the state. Adding insult to the injury, the BJP led central government is blatantly denying special category status to the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh despite the prime minister’s assurance to this effect to the parliament at the time of bifurcation.

In a state where religious identity subsumes into linguistic identity, the aggressive Hindutva has relatively limited potential to deliver electoral dividends. The state has no history of large-scale communal polarisation making it difficult for Hindutva driven political mobilisation. Therefore the party relies more on social engineering.

Despite many flip flops, Mudragada remains an influential leader among Kapus. Therefore, the BJP is desperate to lure the veteran Kapu leader into its fold.

By Prof. K Nageshwar

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