india

Updated: Jul 06, 2019 23:24 IST

Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would form governments in the southern states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala in the coming years.

“The BJP is already the single largest party in Karnataka. If not immediately, we are sure to form the government there. And in the coming years, we have the potential to come to power in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala as well,” Shah said, addressing a gathering of party workers at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Shah, who visited Hyderabad for the first time after the BJP returned to power for the second successive term at the Centre, kicked off the party’s membership drive in Telangana.

Former chief minister of the then combined Andhra Pradesh Nadendla Bhaskar Rao joined the saffron party on Saturday. Rao was instrumental in founding the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) along with NT Rama Rao in 1982 and later in dethroning the latter in August 1984.

Shah welcomed experienced leaders from other parties into the BJP. “There is a need for Sajjan Sanghatan (consolidation of good people) in the party. We welcome leaders from other parties having faith in our party philosophy and the leadership. In fact, there is a need for all sections of people joining the BJP to strengthen the hands of the leadership,” he said.

“I am sure by next elections, the BJP would win 50 per cent votes in Telangana as well,” Shah said. The BJP won more than 19% votes in Telangana in the recently April-May Lok Sabha elections, and more than 50% votes in as many as 17 states in the country.

Shah called upon the state party cadre to expand the party network in the state by enrolling more members.