Vijayawada: The Telugu Desam request to the BJP not to use its party flag while campaigning for the Nandyal byelection has angered some BJP leaders. BJP MLA Vishnu Kumar Raju said that a campaign being conducted without the party flag is similar to a person roaming the streets without a shirt.
Party BJP chief K. Hari Babu said that the BJP would be using its flags in its campaign. He said the party had not received an official request from the TD against the use of BJP flags.
According to sources, TD is regretting asking the BJP’s support in Nandyal, which has about 60,000 Muslim voters who could play an important role in determining the outcome of the election .
The unexpected announcement of Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections forced the TD to change its stance. The party agreed to contest the KMC elections alongside the BJP and, out of fear of appearing to have double standards, asked the BJP to campaign for TD in Nandyal as well. TD leaders felt that if they did not ask for the BJP’s support in Nandyal, the Opposition would be quick to point it out.
