VIJAYAWADA: In a significant move, the YSRC leadership on Monday appointed new coordinators for 11 Assembly Constituencies, resulting in the shifting of three ministers and one former minister from their present seats to different segments.
While the party appointed coordinators to five Constituencies reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), it dropped four sitting MLAs. Of the total appointments, seven are new faces.
Two big winners in the 2019 elections — Alla Ramakrishna Reddy and Tippala Nagi Reddy — were dropped and replaced with leaders from the Backward Classes (BCs). While Ramakrishna Reddy had defeated TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh in Mangalagiri, Nagi Reddy had won against Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan in Gajuwaka.
The party decided to shift or drop MLAs whose performance was not up to the mark, sources revealed.
A senior YSRC leader said, “Results of the Assembly elections in Telangana have proved that those who are facing anti-incumbency locally should be dropped or else the prospects of the party will suffer.”
Sources added that the party might drop at least 30 to 40 sitting MLAs who have not performed well.
Of the 11 total appointments, 10 were made in erstwhile Guntur and Prakasam districts where the Opposition TDP has been gaining ground.
Municipal Administration and Urban Development minister Dr Audimulapu Suresh, who represents the Erragondapalem segment, has been shifted to Kondepi, replacing party in-charge Ashok Babu.
The segment is represented by TDP’s Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy. YSRC’s surveys reportedly revealed that the local leadership was unhappy with Ashok Babu. He has been moved to Vemuru, an SC reserved seat.
Social Welfare minister M Nagarjuna, who is now representing Vemuru, has been moved to Santanutalapadu where the sitting MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu is facing strong dissent from the people.
Health minister Vidadala Rajini, who represents Chilakaluripet, has been shifted to Guntur West, replacing Maddali Giridhar Rao, who had won on TDP ticket in 2019, but later moved to the YSRC. A Kapu leader, Mallela Rajesh Naidu, was made Chilakaluripet coordinator.
In Gajuwaka, senior leader and sitting MLA T Nagi Reddy’s son Devan Reddy was earlier appointed as in-charge. He was replaced by Varikuti Ramachandra Rao, a corporator.
In Addanki, the party has appointed P Hanimi Reddy, a leader from Guntur, to replace constituency in-charge B Krishna Chaitanya.
In SC reserved Prathipadu seat, Balasani Kiran Kumar, an architect, has been appointed as in-charge, replacing former minister Mekathoti Sucharita. Though it was expected that Dokka Manikya Varaprasad would contest from the seat, the party chose Kiran Kumar. Sucharita, meanwhile, was shifted to Tadikonda segment which was represented by suspended MLA Undavalli Sridevi.
YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said the changes were made for better results in next elections.