JOIN USTirupati bypoll on Saturday: BJP sets focus on YSRCP candidate's religion, reservation category
In the celebrated Hindu pilgrimage centre, the BJP has set the focus of the Tirupati bypoll on the religion and the reservation category of YSRCP candidate Maddela Gurumurthy.
The SC reserved Lok Sabha constituency spread over Chittoor and Nellore districts is going to polls on Saturday, needed by the death of sitting YSRCP MP Balli Durga Prasad Rao in September.
BJP leaders including party state in-charge Sunil Deodhar are stating that CM Jaganmohan Reddy's former physiotherapist is ineligible to contest from the SC reserved seat; alleging that he is a converted Christian.
BJP is calling Gurumurthy an “unbeliever of Lord Balaji” and has produced photos of him on Twitter taking blessings of a pastor to prove its point.
"Christians cannot contest on SC Reserved Seats, doing which is against law. But the law is being intentionally trampled under Jagan's watch. Lending your hand to backstabbers of Dalits, you are cheating all Hindus, Christians and even Jesus Christ,” Deodhar said.
On Thursday, the last day of the campaign, even TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu joined the issue saying that converted persons from the Scheduled Castes are categorised as Backward Caste-C, not as SC. Naidu demanded Jagan to answer the questions over his candidate's religious credentials.
Deodhar, BJP's national secretary, even alleged that several of YSRCP MLAs including “home minister Mekatoti Sucharita are elected from SC reserved seats while in practice and by public admittance they are Christians.”
The YSRCP is brushing aside the accusations. “Gurumurthy belongs to a Hindu Mala family, and he has respect for all the castes and communities,” a party functionary said.
The religious affiliation of Jagan, a known follower of Christianity, has gained political prominence since he became the Andhra Pradesh CM two years ago.
Physiotherapist turned politician
A political novice, Gurumurthy was best known for being the personal physiotherapist of party chief Jaganmohan Reddy during his 3648-km “Praja Sankalpa Yatra” traversing Andhra Pradesh ahead of the 2019 Assembly and general elections.
Jagan picking Gurumurthy instead of deceased MP Rao's son Kalyan Chakravarthy as YSRCP's candidate is seen as a big reward bestowed for personal service commitment and party loyalty.
YSRCP leaders are rallying in support of Gurumurthy, eying a massive victory surpassing the 2.2 lakh votes majority in 2019 polls.
The main Opposition TDP has put up former union minister Panabaka Lakshmi, while the BJP, in alliance with Janasena of Pawan Kalyan, is attempting to regain Tirupati with Karnataka former chief secretary Ratna Prabha as its candidate.
The saffron party had won here in 1999, then in coalition with the TDP.