ONGOLE: With the Assembly elections less than a year from now, political equations in the Prakasam district are taking an interesting turn. Both the ruling YSRC and the Opposition TDP are facing dissidence, affecting their poll prospects.
Post reorganisation of the districts based on Lok Sabha constituencies, the YSRC has got seven of the eight Assembly seats in Prakasam. They include Ongole, Santhanuthalapadu, Darsi, Kanigiri, Markapur, Giddalur and Yerragondapalem, while the TDP has been left with the lone Kondepi.
In Markapur and Giddalur, there is an open dissidence within the YSRC against the sitting MLAs. Even newly emerging leaders of the party, have openly started opposing the candidature of the MLAs, besides levelling corruption charges against them.
In Markapur, YSRC leader Peddireddy Suryaprakash Reddy has lodged a complaint with the SP against MLA KP Nagarjuna Reddy and his brother Krishnamohan Reddy, alleging that they committed serious financial fraud and even conspiring to eliminate him.
MLA Anna Rambabu, who won with a thumping majority of 68,000 votes against M Ashok Reddy of TDP in 2019, is also facing serious opposition from his own leaders in Giddalur. Leaders belonging to a prominent caste seem to be creating trouble to Rambabu by often making rounds to Tadepalli to lodge complaints against him with the YSRC leadership.
Rambabu, who is well aware of dissidence, has hit back at his opponents. At the same time, the MLA has announced that he will work sincerely for the victory of the party candidate in the ensuing elections if he is not given the ticket.
In Darsi, aspirants have intensified their lobbying for the party ticket by launching an adverse campaign against sitting MLA Maddisetty Venugopal. The groups headed by former MLA Buchepalli Siva Prasad Reddy and ZP Chairperson Buchepalli Venkayamma are strongly opposing the renomination of Venugopal in the ensuing elections.
In Kondepi (SC) Assembly segment, Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy of TDP, who defeated Madasi Venkaiah of YSRC with a slender margin in the last election, is likely to face a tough fight in 2024.
The rivalry between YSRC constituency incharge Varikuti Ashok and Madasi Venkaiah is likely to mar the party prospects in 2024. Accusing Ashok of committing excesses, his opponents have declared that they will field a rebel candidate if the YSRC leadership allots the party ticket to him in the next elections.
District Incharge Minister Meruga Nagarjuna seems to be not in a position to spare his time to resolve internal squabbles in Prakasam YSRC. The role of YSRC district president Janke Venkata Reddy is said to be minimal in controlling party affairs.
On the other hand, the newly appointed YSRC coordinators Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and Beeda Masthan Rao are often visiting the district and conducting meetings with all the prominent leaders to accomplish ‘Mission 175’ in 2024 by promoting coordination among them.