Even as Congress leadership dithers over acting against Jagan Mohan Reddy loyalists in the Congress, the YSR Congress has decided to take the advantage.
In a bid to grab at least one seat in the ensuing polls to 10 MLC seats under the MLA quota, slated for March 21, the party has decided to field former TDP leader Adireddy Appa Rao, husband of Rajahmundry ex-mayor Veera Raghavamma.
Rao, who met party honorary president Vijayamma, along with former minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose here on Wednesday, was asked to file his nomination papers on March 9.
Appa Rao’s son has married the daughter of senior TDP leader the late K Yerrannaidu. Appa Rao, who is from the Koppula Velama community, served as the Rajahmundry city unit TDP president.
As the YSRC is banking on the support of its loyalists in the Congress and the TDP for its candidate’s victory, the party leadership is understood to have decided to field a BC leader like Appa Rao to woo the BC legislators in Congress and TDP.
Former minister Bose and ex-MLA Konda Surekha, though contended for the MLC seat, are said to have withdrawn as they want to contest the 2014 Assembly polls.
There is every chance that the YSRC, which has 17 MLAs, will win one MLC seat as nine Congress and four TDP dissidents are likely to support its candidate.
However, it would be interesting to see whether the loyalists of Jagan in Congress and TDP would really defy the whip of their respective parties and vote for YSRC, as they are sure to lose their membership of the Assembly.
Interestingly, the YSRC leadership decided to adopt a “wait and watch” policy on contesting for a second MLC seat; it does not have sufficient numbers.
The party leadership feels if it contests for the second seat, it might win with the help of its coverts in the Congress and the TDP along with the support of MIM, which has seven MLAs.
However, the TRS which has 18 (17+1) MLAs, is also looking for the backing of MIM to grab one seat by garnering the support of CPI (4), BJP (3), two suspended TDP MLAs S Venugopalachari and K Harishwar Reddy and independent member Nagam Janardhan Reddy.
TRS candidate for the MLC seat, Md Mahmood Ali, will file his papers on Thursday. Party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao has nominated Mahmood Ali, its minorities wing president, as the party candidate hoping his candidature would help the pink party gather the support of MIM.
Rao is reportedly seeking the support of the Telangana Congress leaders too, in return for the support given by his party to the Congress during the last MLC polls.