Special status row won't harm BJP in AP: Shyam Kishore

Andhra Pradesh BJP general secretary Jammula Shyam Kishore today said the controversy over demand of special status category for AP would not affect his party's prospects in the state.
The opposition parties have targeted the ruling TDP and the NDA government as the state was not granted a special status post-bifurcation.
BJP would launch several strategies to strengthen its base among the masses and occupy the space vacated by the Congress and other parties, he said.
Speaking to media after the BJP state executive meeting of here, Kishore and fellow general secretary S Suresh Reddy said the state executive decided to strengthen the party in the state by 2019 through a massive membership drive and building the cadre in all the mandals.

The BJP membership in the state in 2014 was 1.75 lakh and now it has increased to nearly 31 lakh, they said.
To a question on whether BJP would have a tie-up with TDP for Legislative Council polls, the two leaders said they had no power to take decision on this issue, and the BJP high command and top TDP leaders will take a decision on it.