The Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in Andhra Pradesh will visit the Polavaram Multipurpose Project on July 16 to review the progress of the works and underscore its significance as a national irrigation project.The delegation will be led by State BJP president P. V. N. Madhav and include Union Minister Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, State Health Minister Y. Satya Kumar Yadav, BJP MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other senior party leaders.Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada on Tuesday, BJP State spokesperson Mullapudi Renuka alleged that successive governments had delayed the completion of the project. She said the proposal, first made in 1941 by irrigation engineer Venkata Krishna Iyer during the Madras Presidency, remained pending for decades owing to repeated surveys, revisions in estimates and tribunal proceedings, resulting in a substantial escalation in the project cost. She also alleged that the YSR Congress Party government’s reverse tendering policy had slowed construction and damaged the diaphragm wall.Ms. Renuka credited the Narendra Modi-led Union government with according national project status to Polavaram, facilitating statutory clearances, providing financial support and establishing the Polavaram Project Authority.She said the project had gained momentum under the NDA governments at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh. Referring to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement to supply Godavari water to Anakapalli by August 14, she appealed to BJP workers from Eluru, East Godavari and West Godavari districts to participate in the July 16 visit. Published - July 14, 2026 06:49 pm IST