VIJAYAWADA: As the D-Day is nearing, ticket aspirants in the YSR Congress party are on the edge. The YSRC had appointed Assembly constituency and Parliament coordinators more than a year back and given enough indications to them that they would be the candidates for the 2019 elections.
However, the situation has changed now and the party aspirants are in a dilemma over whether their name will figure in the final list of candidates or not. It may be mentioned that YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had recently said he would announce the list of candidates within two or three days after the release of the election schedule.
With the release of election schedule on Sunday and there is not much time left for the party candidates for campaigning, party leaders expect that the list will be announced any time soon.
The coordinators, who have taken up campaigns and shelled out money all these days, are apprehensive of their future now.
The party has already replaced some of the coordinators in the past four-five months, causing much dissidence among the party rank and file in the respective Assembly constituencies. In fact, the situation changed drastically in the last one month with the joining of many leaders from the ruling TDP, some of them prominent enough to get tickets.
Take for instance the case of Panyam MLA Gauru Charitha Reddy, who was with the party through its thick and thin in the last four years. The denial of party ticket to has come as a rude shock for him. The YSRC is learnt to have narrowed down on another strong leader Katasani Rambhupal Reddy and sidelined Gauru, forcing her to shift to the TDP. Similar is the situation with Chirala Assembly constituency in-charge Balaji, who is unlikely to get the ticket with the sitting TDP MLA from the seat Amanchi Krishna Mohan joining the party.
“The party coordinators were given the post with a view that they can prepare the ground work, start meeting people and take up the Navaratnas (nine schemes announced by the party) to the people. All of them have been active for long. However, they may have to be replaced going by the changing political equations in the particular segment and time-to-time surveys,’’ a senior leader said.
The leader cited the case of Vijayawada Central coordinator Vangaveeti Radha Krishna. Radha Krishna, a strong Kapu leader, was replaced by former MLA Malladi Vishnu.
Ticket trouble
The situation in YSRC has changed with joining of many leaders from the ruling TDP, some of them prominent enough to get tickets
Party coordinators, who have taken up campaigns, are apprehensive of their future now
Jagan is expected to announce the candidates’ list soon
Panyam MLA Gauru Charitha Reddy was denied ticket, forcing her join the TDP
Chirala Assembly constituency in-charge Balaji is unlikely to get the ticket with joining of MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan
The party, citing the example of Vangaveeti Radha Krishna, says party coordinates may have to be replaced as per the changing political equations