VIJAYAWADA: The recent feud in Krishna district unit of Praja Rajyam Party has thrown up new political equations in Vijayawada, which makes as much much political sense, as castebased politics.
Kesineni Nani, who belongs to the Kamma community, is believed to have been eyeing the Vijayawada Parliament seat ever since he joined the party. But, of late, there seems to have been a change of plans. He is believed to have decided to contest from the Patamata assembly constituency, after taking into account the lack of focussed cadre who will ensure a victory at the contest for the parliamentary seat.
The recent feud in the PRP only gave him the chance to vent his feelings against the alleged caste politics which were coming to the fore after Vangaveeti Radhakrishna came into the party. Today’s press meet by Nani only proved this point beyond doubt. Just as Express had reported earlier, the feud was not entirely personal but had a caste angle to it.
Analysts say that reports that Kesineni Nani was allegedly going to join the TDP was common sense to anybody, if the issue is put into perspective.
Out of the three constituencies in Vijayawada - Patamata, Central and West - Patamata has not only the highest number of Kamma votes, but also has the capability of being the decisive vote.
The Patamata constituency has around 40,000 Kamma votes and around 30,000 Kapu votes, and this makes it common sense for Nani to join the TDP, which has traditionally garnered the Kamma vote.
Besides, Vangaveeti Radha coming into the fray for the Patamata assembly seat might well prompt Nani to get on to the TDP boat.
Vangaveeti Radha, who has a sizeable Kapu vote in the Krishna Lanka area, finds himself jinxed because it has been merged with the Patamata area, after the delimitation process, which also has a sizeable Kamma vote.
Meanwhile, TDP also does not have any serious contenders for the seat, who can give the party high command the necessary confidence that they can successfully contest, making Nani’s entry into the TDP imminent. Besides, given that TDP has committed cadre when compared to the PRP’s fledgling cadre, it makes logical sense too.
While neither Nani nor TDP party leaders have confirmed the allegations that Nani might join the TDP, in view of the current circumstances, Nani going into the TDP seems imminent.
rakeshvk@epmltd.com