A section of the BJP is still to get over the shock of its MLC candidate N Ramachandra Rao’s defeat in the MLC Graduate Constituency elections. They suspect internal sabotage from within the party ranks to ensure Ramachandra Rao’s defeat.
There is a strong feeling within Ramachandra Rao’s supporters that the BC and OBC sections of the party have worked against him. Even during the campaign, there were murmurs in the BC section, especially those who came from the ABVP background that Ramachandra Rao is a candidate from the upper castes and that he alone was getting party tickets to contest as MLC, MLA and MP. There were also comments that after becoming an MLC, he did not tour the constituency and attend to the needs of the party workers. Sources close to Ramachandra Rao feel that party’s organising secretary Mantri Srinivasulu too has a hand in this malicious campaign.
What worried them most was that several BJP voters had written slogans on the ballot papers and that this was a deliberate attempt to make the votes invalid. At least over 20000 votes became invalid because of this. This is something that has never happened in the past in any election. So, a section of the BJP supporters were hell-bent on making their votes invalid. Last heard: Ramachandra Rao is planning to take this issue up with the party’s national leadership .
