BJP is likely to confirm the candidature of former Union minister Daggubati Purandeswari, who recently joined the party, from the Rajampeta Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh, party sources said here today.
Purandeswari herself is set to meet Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) top leaders in Delhi, to get their final approval, so that the list of candidates could be finalised by tonight or tomorrow, sources said.
The TDP top brass had opposed Purandeswari's candidature, though she is a close relative of TDP president Chandrababu Naidu, as well as a senior woman leader who has a reputation of being an able administrator and parliamentarian.
As part of its poll alliance, the TDP allotted five parliamentary constituencies to the BJP, out of which three are general constituencies, one is a scheduled tribe (ST) constituency and another one is a constituency reserved for scheduled castes (SC), in the residual state of a bifurcated Andhra Pradesh.
Rajampeta Lok Sabha seat is one of the three general seats, BJP sources said, adding that all top BJP leaders are extremely interested in contesting from parliamentary seats.
Andhra Pradesh BJP president K Haribabu himself is interested in contesting from the Vishakapatnam Lok Sabha constituency, which also happens to be the seat Purandeswari has been eyeing, but the BJP's AP unit is likely to favour Haribabu's candidature instead, party sources said.
There is heavy competition for a BJP ticket from the Narasapuram Lok Sabha seat due to which Purandeswari could not find a place. So Rajampeta is only Lok Sabha seat which has less competition for BJP tickets, especially since the BJP also could not find a suitable candidate to contest from this seat, party sources said.
Though the BJP is interested in getting Ongole instead of the Rajampeta Lok Sabha seat, the TDP is unwilling to entertain its proposal, sources said.
Due to such realities, party sources said that Purandeswari is compelled to contest from the Rajampeta Lok Sabha constituency.
