ANANTAPUR: Though the YSRC won 12 of the 14 Assembly seats in the erstwhile undivided Anantapur district in the 2019 elections, it seems to be not easy for the ruling party to make a clean sweep in the ensuing elections as part of its ‘Mission 175’ due to dissidence among cadres.
Even if the TDP is striving to regain its lost glory in the district, the opposition seems to be finding it tough to publicise the party programmes in a big way due to lack of strong cadre at the grassroots.
The YSRC rank and file from the mandal level has started openly expressing its dissatisfaction against the party legislators and in charges for not giving them priority in party programmes.
“Sitting MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna will again win from Hindupur constituency, if group politics in the YSRC continues. Group politics and dissidence will weaken the party. Cadre has started raising local and non-local issues in each and every constituency and it will affect the party’s winning prospects in the ensuing elections. Hence, urgent measures need to be taken to end dissidence in the party,” cautioned YSRC MLC Mohammad Iqbal at a recent party meeting.
The second rung leaders in each segment are not showing any interest in the party programmes, alleging that the local legislators and incharges are not providing any financial support to them for the past three years.
According to sources in the ruling party, legislators and their relatives, more particularly in Rayadurgam, Kalayanadurgam, Uravakonda, Dharmavaram and Tadipatri constituencies, are functioning as monopolists without giving any priority to the cadre.
The situation is also similar in Singanamala and Madakasira as the second rung leaders have openly expressed their dissidence against the party leadership, said an analyst.
However, Sri Sathya Sai district YSRC president M Sankaranarayana said, “There has been no dissidence in the ruling party. The YSRC government is implementing welfare schemes and development programmes in a transparent manner, unlike the previous TDP regime. We are striving hard to make a clean sweep in the district in the ensuing elections by winning people’s support.”