Nara Lokesh-Amit Shah meeting: More about Kamma votes in Telangana than Naidu solidarity

“Was Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s late-night meeting with TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh in Delhi on Wednesday, 11 October, meant to send a signal to Telangana’s Kamma voters that the BJP sympathized with the plight of jailed party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu?”
While Amit Shah reportedly met Nara Lokesh after Andhra Pradesh state BJP president Daggubati Purendeswari intervened on his behalf (she is his maternal aunt), it is significant that the meeting occurred shortly after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Telangana Assembly elections.
Lokesh, who has been largely in Delhi since the 14th of September, when he met his father in detention, had tried to meet Amit Shah with the support of his party MPs throughout these days, but with little success.
The meeting was arranged following Amit Shah’s visit to Telangana on Monday for his first election rally, during which he apparently assessed the BJP’s chances — which are not as bright as they were a few months ago — and concluded that the party needed to play the Naidu card to woo Kammas in the state.
According to individuals Reporter.in talked with, Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy, who was in Hyderabad, was ordered to rush to Delhi, ostensibly to give a message to Telangana voters sympathetic to the TDP that the saffron party sympathized with Naidu’s situation.
Lokesh’s posting of photos from his meeting with Amit Shah on the social networking platform X late Wednesday night revealed his willingness to join the BJP.
After Naidu’s incarceration, the TDP in Telangana, which was never a force to be reckoned with in the first place, was in shambles. As a result, the way was cleared for other parties, particularly the Congress, which now houses numerous former TDP officials, to target Kamma supporters who support the Andhra party.
According to reports, internal surveys commissioned by the BJP leadership in Delhi did not create a positive picture for the party in Telangana. Amit Shah is said to have double-checked the survey results with state party leaders before deciding to target Kamma voters.
According to a political observer, the saffron party’s immediate goal is to establish strength in Telangana by stealing Congress votes, as the BJP’s prospects appear to be considerably stronger.
As Kammas claim that they might influence the outcome of the elections in approximately 40 of the state’s 119 parts, the BJP is eager to win them over by expressing support with Naidu. This would also jeopardize the grand old party’s hopes of Kamma consolidation, which is important in the BJP’s national strategy of securing a “Congress-mukt Bharat.”
Telangana’s Kammas are at a crossroads, with the TDP still a nonentity in the state.
Following the events in Andhra Pradesh, Kamma voters in Telangana are polarized against state Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, which translates into opposition to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who is considered to be Jagan’s good buddy.
In light of this, and with the Congress’s stock rising, the Kammas have urged the Congress to field more community candidates in exchange for their unconditional support.
With only five Kammas nominated by KCR in the next Assembly elections — P Ajay Kumar (Khammam), Nallamothu Bhaskar Rao (Miryalguda), Koneru Konappa (Sirpur), Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally), and Maganti Gopinath (Jubilee Hills) — the group believes it deserves better treatment.
They appear to have been harmed by the way Thummala Nageswara Rao was denied the Palair seat in Khammam, compelling him to join the Congress.
Leaders of the Telangana Kammavari Rajakeeya Ikya Vedika recently gathered in Hyderabad and reportedly addressed how the BRS administration had marginalized them. They decided to request that the Congress and BJP field at least ten Kammas each in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Lokesh issued a statement following his meeting with Amit Shah in which he claimed to have conveyed how spiteful the YSRCP government had gotten against Chandrababu Naidu. He claimed to have brought to Amit Shah’s attention Jagan Mohan Reddy’s use of official apparatus for political purposes. He claimed that Jagan Mohan Reddy was attempting to cause trouble for his family by charging Naidu with false charges.
Interestingly, BJP State President in Andhra Pradesh Daggubati Purandeswari stated emphatically in a tweet that the meeting was proof that the BJP had nothing to do with Naidu’s arrest.
According to Lokesh, Amit Shah felt that bothering a 73-year-old politician by filing so many complaints against him was inappropriate. The Union home minister also questioned about Naidu’s health and stated that he was keeping a careful eye on events in the state.
The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) is probing Chandrababu Naidu’s role in the 370 crore skill development scandal. The CID is also looking into the ex-chief minister’s involvement in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road alignment scam.”