VIJAYAWADA : The announcement of the fourth and final list of candidates for the Assembly and Lok Sabha seats has sparked dissent within the TDP. Cheepurupalli TDP incharge Kimidi Nagarjuna resigned from the party, resenting the allotment of the Assembly seat to his paternal uncle K Kala Venkata Rao. TDP cadre damaged furniture and burnt the campaign material at the TDP offices in Anantapur and Guntakal Assembly constituencies denouncing the candidate selection.
Resenting the allotment of Anantapur Urban seat to Daggubati Venkateshwar Prasad, followers of former MLA V Prabhakar Chowdary barged into the TDP office, damaged furniture, including the photos party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and general secretary Lokesh, and set them afire. They raised slogans against Naidu and Lokesh.
Accusing the party leadership of selling out the ticket for Rs 30 crore, they rued that there was no recognition to the committed leaders in the TDP.
In Guntakal too, the enraged followers of Jitender Goud stormed into the TDP office and damaged furniture. They denounced the allotment of TDP ticket to Gummanur Jayaram, who they said is a non-local. They also claimed that the seat was allotted to Jayaram joined the TDP recently, after taking Rs 30 crore from him. In Satyavedu of Tirupati district, TDP cadre strongly opposed the party’s decision to field Koneti Adimulam, who joined the party from the YSRC recently.
In Rajampet, followers B Chengal Rayudu faulted the party leadership for showing an empty hand to their leader and giving the ticket to S Subrahmanyam.
Meanwhile, TDP leaders went to the residence of former Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy to pacify him.
Following the allotment of Assembly seat to the BJP, Ramakrishna Reddy expressed his ire over the party leadership and announced to contest the election as an independent.
Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, who aspired to contest from Mylavaram, was disappointed after the allotment of ticket to sitting YSRC MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad, who joined the TDP. To pacify Devineni Uma, the TDP leadership has entrusted him with the responsibility to coordinate the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in addition to his capacity as the party general secretary.