The Bharatiya Janata Party will likely face a very tough contest in Andhra Pradesh in Lok Sabha elections 2019. The BJP is at loggerheads with both Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party and Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party in the state. It is reported there is an anti-saffron wave in the state since both YSR Congress and TDP held BJP responsible for not granting Special Status to the state. While BJP has only two MPs in the state that sends 25 members to Lower House of Lok Sabha, the party has four MLAs in the Assembly. Undoubtedly, Bharatiya Janata Party needs to come up with a completely new strategy.

While many are clueless as to what strategy BJP chief Amit Shah will resort to, there are certain plan of action flagged by the Opposition and experts that may be taken up by the saffron party. The top three are: Operation Garuda, Kapu Politics, and making veteran Congressmen join the state.

Kapu politics: As per some experts, the BJP may resort to woo state’s dominant Kapu community. The saffron party may kick off a new pro-backward movement in the state. To boost up party’s prospects, a new state unit president from the community may be announced soon. MLC Somu Veeraraju and MLA and former minister P Manikyala Rao, both Kapus, are the two top contenders for the post in the state.

Operation Garuda: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has alleged the BJP is hatching a “big conspiracy” in collusion with his rivals to politically destabilise the state. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister alleges BJP has planned an “Operation Garuda” that involves YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy, actor-politician Pawan Kalyan and former CBI Joint Director VV Lakshminarayana. Sivaji, a former BJP member, alleged a few months ago that saffron party was conspiring with the help of Jagan and Pawan in Andhra Pradesh to finish the TDP

‘Poaching’ Congress leaders: After TDP broke ties with BJP, the saffron party has the challenge to strengthen its organisation in the state. A report in the Hindustan Times says that BJP will throw open its doors for Congress veterans in Andhra Pradesh. As per the report, there are over 20 senior Congress leaders in the southern state who will likely cross over to the saffron party in the coming week.