ANANTAPUR: The political heat is on the rise in the combined Anantapur district as leaders of both the ruling YSRC and the opposition TDP have intensified their efforts to get assurance from the leadership of respective parties that they will be given tickets in the next Assembly elections.
While internal bickering is a worrying factor that will affect the winning chances of the YSRC in the ensuing elections, the situation in the TDP is also not conducive due to the dominance of a few leaders, which has attracted the cadre’s ire.
Both political parties have been trying to attract BCs, who are a dominant force and can determine the fortunes of candidates in the elections. The support of Kuruba and Boya communities is key to win the election as they have large population in the district.
The major political parties are also planning to give priority to BC leaders in selection of candidates to get the votes of Backward Classes. The dominance of a few leaders in Kadiri, Puttaparthi, Penukonda, Dharmavaram, Anantapur, Raptadu, Kalyanadurgam, Rayadurgam, Guntakal and Singanamala seems to be a major drawback to the TDP.
After TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh’s Yuva Galam Padayatra, the party prospects seem to have improved due to coordination between the party rank and file in majority of the constituencies. Meanwhile, the entry of new leaders into the party has created a confusion among the ticket aspirants as they have started announcing themselves as the prospective candidates.
“There has been no development in Anantapur under the YSRC government. No concrete measures have been taken to improve the living standards of the poor people. The TDP is set to gain in the next elections due to the failures of the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government on all fronts,” asserted BK Parthasarthi, TDP president of Sathya Sai district.
The JC Brothers seem to be trying to keep their hold on key segments in the district. JC Prabhakar Reddy has been frequently criticising the ruling party MLA and police to be in the limelight. JC Diwakar Reddy is also evolving his own strategy to strengthen his hold in the party.
Meanwhile, several ruling YSRC MLAs have been facing dissidence within the party for their unilateral style of functioning, which may affect the YSRC prospects in the next elections, observed a political analyst.