Naidu, Vajpayee to star together in Bellary show

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 30: In a bid to give fillip to the BJP's campaign in Bellary, where former Delhi chief minister Sushma Swaraj is pitted...

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 30: In a bid to give fillip to the BJP8217;s campaign in Bellary, where former Delhi chief minister Sushma Swaraj is pitted against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajapyee and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will share the platform in the constituency on September 1.

It8217;ll probably be the first time Naidu will be openly sharing the stage with the BJP leaders. Wary of alienating the minority vote bank, he had so far maintained a discreet distance from the saffron party, despite propping up the Vajpayee Government at the Centre and entering into a seat-sharing arrangement with the party in the State.

But the overriding concern of keeping the Congress president at bay seems to have persuaded Naidu to shed his inhibitions. This has come as a shot in the arm for the BJP.

The two leaders would be taking different routes to reach Bellary. While Vajpayee would be arriving at Bellary by air from Hyderabad, the TDP chief would be reaching theconstituency by road, after crossing over from the Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh. The two leaders are slated to address a joint rally on Wednesday afternoon.

An area known for its backwardness, iron-ore and manganese mining, Bellary is located on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border and has a fairly large Telugu-speaking population.

The BJP views this development as significant in more ways than one. 8220;Besides helping us woo the Telugu-speaking electorate in the area, it also underscores the fact that a broad spectrum of the BJP and its allies is being formed,8221; party vice-president J P Mathur observed.

8220;It also lends credence to the fact,8221; he added, 8220;that all major political parties, except the Congress, are aligning with us. The BJP, for governance, is fast becoming an umbrella organisation. It will bring surety to the people that the party can accommodate all points of view in the national interest and will be in a position to provide a stable government.8221;

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Naidu8217;s step also signified thathis dependence on the minority votes was being gradually reduced, Mathur further pointed out.