BB Patil faces challenges within BJP

A host of the leaders from BJP from across seven assembly constituencies were aspiring for the ticket, but the aspiring candidates were left in shock as his name featured in the first list of BJP.

Sangareddy: Zaheerabad Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate BB Patil is finding it difficult to draw the support of the BJP cadre and leaders across the seven assembly segments of Zaheerabad Lok Sabha Constituency. The BJP had declared him as its candidate a day after he joined the BJP by quitting BRS.

Patil was elected in 2014 and 2019 from Zaheerabad on a BRS ticket. A host of the leaders from BJP from across seven assembly constituencies were aspiring for the ticket, but the aspiring candidates were left in shock as his name featured in the first list of BJP.

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The BJP had won just the Kamareddy assembly seat, losing the remaining six Assembly seats in the parliamentary constituency to Congress and BRS. During the just concluded assembly elections, Patil had campaigned against the BJP and its candidates.

Mogilgundla Jaipal Reddy, who was aspiring for the Zaheerabad Lok Sabha ticket, did not even meet Patil after the ticket announcement. Jaipal Reddy, son of senior leader Baga Reddy, had considerable hold in Zaheerabad and Narayankhed assembly segments. But Patil has not made any attempt to reconcile with Reddy so far.

Patil has been facing similar challenges in all the assembly segments as several BJP leaders and cadre were not moving along with him. Patil, who had won the 2019 elections with a slender margin of 6,000 votes, is expected to face a much stiffer challenger from BRS candidate Gali Anil Kumar and Congress candidate Suresh Shetkar.

BJP leaders Banala Lakshma Reddy, Ale Bhaskar and Medapati Prakash Reddy, who aspired for the ticket, were also maintaining distance from Patil as they were denied the ticket.

The BJP has tried to score over its rivals by getting the sitting MP into its fold, but whether the ploy will work remains to be seen.