VIJAYAWADA: In a jolt to Telugu Desam, particularly its general secretary Nara Lokesh, prominent Padmashali community leader from Mangalagiri, Ganji Chiranjeevi, who quit TDP recently, joined the ruling YSRC in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday.
With Chiranjeevi joining the YSRC, Lokesh, who has been striving to strengthen his foothold in Mangalagiri, where he lost the Assembly election in 2019, has suffered a severe setback as the former was a known loyalist of the TDP general secretary, who served as the municipal chairman of Mangalagiri.
The entry of the weavers’ community strongman has further strengthened the ruling YSRC in the capital region. In all likelihood, he may be the YSRC’s MLA candidate in the next elections though nothing was said or promised by Jagan.
It may be recalled that during the last election campaign, the incumbent MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy had stated that the ticket in the next Assembly election will be given to a leader from the weavers’ community. “Irrespective of who contests the next election, YSRC will be the winner,” asserted Chiranjeevi.
Stated that he joined YSRC attracted by Jagan’s dynamic leadership and his inclusive administration, where the weaver's community is being given due recognition politically and the welfare of the poor weavers is being taken care of like never before.
According to sources, the rift between Lokesh and Chiranjeevi seemed to have formed a few months ago with the party maintaining a distance from him alleging that he was a YSRC covert. The BC leader, who lost the Assembly election from Mangalagiri in 2014 by just 12 votes margin to Ramakrishna Reddy, made every effort to help Lokesh during the last elections.
However, Lokesh lost the election with a margin of 5,312 votes.
Chiranjeevi was dissatisfied with the way he was treated in TDP and bade adieu to the yellow party two weeks ago. Since then, there were enough indications that he would join YSRC, and today it became true.
Those in the know of the things happening told TNIE that it is part of the strategy to keep TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and his son Lokesh confined to a single constituency worrying about losing their grip. With YSRC making inroads into Kuppam constituency during municipal and local bodies elections, TDP chief Naidu was seen making frequent trips to Kuppam, considered to be a TDP bastion, to keep the flock together.
On the other hand, Lokesh, who started his ‘campaign’ much in advance for the next elections in Mangalagiri, has now been put in a fix with Chiranjeevi parting ways and joining the rival camp. Mangalagiri is dominated by the weavers’ community and Chiranjeevi has a considerable influence on the community.
“His inclusion in YSRC is a plus to our party and a grave loss to TDP. In fact, TDP does not have leaders with considerable influence in Mangalagiri. Former MLAs of Mangalagiri Murugudu Hanumantha Rao, who was a former minister of the YS Rajasekhara Reddy cabinet and Kandru Kamala, both from the weavers’ community are now in YSRC,” Ramakrishna Reddy told TNIE.
Chiranjeevi can influence the weavers’ community not just in Mangalagiri, but across the State and even other BC communities to trust him. Further, the YSRC government’s focus on the development of Mangalagiri will be the main rallying point for all people of the weavers’ community and other BC communities in the region to support YSRC.
Ramakrishna Reddy felt that Lokesh, who in the first place is not suited for politics, may be staring at the end of the road when it comes to direct elections.