For political parties, 2014 general elections are causing more headache than any other polls in the past.
In Telangana and Seemandhra alike, a constant churning is happening in all parties, with leaders looking beyond their parties political opportunities.
But this is creating problems in the form of dissatisfaction among the leaders who suddenly feel that their chances are being suddenly knocked away by the new entrants.
In Seemandhra region, there is migration of leaders from Congress to Telugu Desam, YSRC.
When Congress leader and former minister TG Venkatesh joined the Telugu Desam Party, Rambhoopal Chowdhary cried foul as admission of Venkatesh into the party means there would be no ticket for him to contest from Kurnool. Wiping his tears, he left the party office the other day even as Venktesh was walking in.
Similarly, when former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao joined the TDP, party leaders in Visakhapatnam did not take it kindly. Party senior leader Ch Ayyannapatrudu, who calls a spade a spade, burst out at the party leadership as well as Srinivasa Rao, as he felt threatened by the induction of Srinivasa Rao into the party.
Then, in Guntur district, former minister Kodela Sivaprsada Rao targeted Chandrababu Naidu that by admitting everyone who came along from the Congress, the TDP was running the risk of looking like a double of the Congress, which it has been fighting all along.
Kodela was feeling jittery over admission of Mahesh, son of former minister Kasu Krishna Reddy (Cong), into the TDP as he might be given ticket to contest from Narasaraopet, Kodela’s home constituency. In fact, what he has feared has happened; Naidu had told Sivaprasada Rao to move to neighbouring Sattenappalli constituency.
In YSRC too, the problem is pronounced. When Anantapur MP Antana Venkatarami Reddy was admitted into the party, Anantapur MLA B Gurunadh Reddy went to the extent of saying that he would quit YSRC. Gurunath Reddy was an early bird; he joined the YSRC and even won on party ticket after resigning as Congress MLA. Both the leaders do not see eye to eye and this might create a problem for the party in the district. The party is trying to sort out the problem.
In Hyderabad, TDP leader Sudheesh Rambhotla left the TDP in a huff over indications that he might not be fielded from Malkajgiri on which he had set his eyes. While leaving the party, he said Naidu was being surrounded by a coterie led by Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh, which has been misleading him. He then joined the BJP in the presence of party president Rajnath Singh.
When T-TDP leader E Dayakara Rao contemplated joining the Congress, there was resistance from Congress workers in his Palakurthy. The other day, they met and warned Dayakara Rao that if he joins the Congress and contests from Palakurhty, they would defeat him.
It remains to be seen how leaders manage to curb dissidence in the their parties.
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