Vijayawada: The BJP is unlikely to appoint a floor leader for the upcoming first session of the Assembly starting Monday.
In the recent elections, BJP, part of the alliance with TDP and Jana Sena Party, secured eight seats out of the ten contested. The TDP, leading the NDA in the state, allotted one Cabinet berth to the BJP.
Sources reveal there are multiple contenders for the floor leader position among the seven BJP legislators. Seniority, caste, and regional factors are being weighed in the decision-making process for both the floor leader and Whip positions.
"If there are multiple contenders for any party or government post, preference is given to those who have been with the party longer rather than those who joined from other parties. This criterion may apply here as well," explained a senior leader. This principle was evident in the selection of Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, a loyalist and first-time MP from Narasapuram, for the Union Cabinet berth over D Purandeswari and CM Ramesh, who began their political careers in other parties. A similar approach was taken in appointing Y Satya Kumar to the State Cabinet.
Among the seven BJP MLAs, P Vishnu Kumar Raju and Kamineni Srinivas represented the party in the previous Assembly term (2014-19), while PV Pardhasarahi is a first-time MLA. The remaining four MLAs—C Adinarayana Reddy, Y Satyanarayana (Sujana) Chowdary, N Eswara Rao, and N Ramakrishna Reddy—joined the BJP from other parties. Sources suggest it's unlikely that Ramakrishna Reddy and Eswara Rao, who joined just before the elections, will be chosen for the roles of Legislature Party Leader or Whip.
Vishnu Kumar Raju, a two-time MLA from Visakhapatnam North, is seen as a potential candidate for the floor leader position. However, given the recent induction of a Kshatriya community MP into the Union Cabinet, it remains to be seen if another leader from the same community will be chosen for this post. Adinarayana Reddy, a senior leader from Kadapa, is also under consideration, along with Kamineni. However, the BJP has temporarily deferred the appointment of these positions.