GUNTUR: While the ruling YSRC is keen on retaining Tenali seat for the second consecutive time in the ensuing Assembly elections, the Jana Sena Party is also determined to bag it. Sitting YSRC MLA Annabathuni Siva Kumar has a stronghold on the constituency and his family has considerable influence in Tenali, which is popular as ‘Andhra Paris’. He has been actively participating in the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam programme to reach out to the people in the constituency.
Meanwhile, Alapati Rajendra Prasad of TDP, who won the Assembly election against Annabathuni in 2014, also belongs to the same community of the sitting MLA. Though he lost the election in 2019, Alapati is one of the few senior leaders in the TDP in Guntur district. On the other hand, JSP Political Affairs Committee chairman Nadendla Manohar has been keen on contesting the ensuing elections from Tenali, where he won in 2004 and 2009. He suffered defeat in the last elections.
Tenali politics has become more interesting after JSP chief Pawan Kalyan announced an alliance with the TDP following the arrest of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the AP State Skill Development Corporation case. With Nadendla entering the picture, it seems to be difficult for Alapati to get Tenali seat. The JSP is confident that its winning prospects have brightened after the alliance with the TDP.
In a telephonic conversation with TNIE, Nadendla said, “TDP leaders have welcomed us with warmth, and the alliance between the two parties is frictionless.”As Nadendla has been away from Tenali for the past several years, the YSRC is likely to project him as a non-local in its election campaign.
To counter any negative publicity in this regard, Nadendla has already started conducting meetings with his followers and JSP cadres to mobilise public support, besides focusing on local issues. However, the ruling YSRC is confident of retaining the seat for the second consecutive time despite the alliance between the TDP and JSP.
Refuting the Opposition allegation that there has been no development in the constituency, Annabathuni said, “Tenali has achieved more development in the last four-and-a-half years compared to the tenures of Alapati, a three-time MLA, and Nadendla, a two-time legislator. The TDP-JSP combine will in no way affect the winning prospects of YSRC in the ensuing elections as the people are more satisfied with the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government.”
The victory of JSP-TDP combine will largely depend on how well the two parties will be able to coordinate with each other in the election campaign. If the YSRC is able to turn the ‘differences’ between the JSP and TDP cadres at the ground level to its advantage, it is likely to retain the seat for the second time. However, Tenali is set to witness a tough battle in 2024.