VIJAYAWADA: YSRC MLA Vasantha Venkata Krishna Prasad’s possible entry into the TDP is unlikely to be a smooth affair as former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao seems to be strongly opposing it.
Krishna Prasad won from Mylavaram in the 2019 elections, defeating Uma. The two leaders have been involved in levelling large scale corruption charges against each other for the past few years.
The MLA had started facing a tough time in the YSRC after Housing Minister and Pedana MLA Jogi Ramesh made moves to contest from Mylavaram in the coming Assembly elections. The YSRC party rank and file in the constituency is said to have been divided into two groups with majority of them opposing Krishna Prasad.
The YSRC has appointed Narnala Tirupati Rao Yadav, a BC leader, as incharge of Mylavaram Assembly constituency. Now, Krishna Prasad seems to have been left with no option except leaving the YSRC for political survival. He is said to be in touch with the TDP leadership and is likely to join the party soon. The MLA has convened a meeting of his followers at Nandigama on Monday. He is likely to announce his future course of action after holding discussions with his followers.
Meanwhile, Krishna Prasad’s decision to join the TDP is strongly opposed by Uma. Speaking at a party programme on Sunday, Uma said Krishna Prasad had benefited a lot in the YSRC in the past four-and-a-half years as he illegally transported sand from the Krishna river banks to Hyderabad. “He is now trying to jump into the TDP for political survival,” Uma said.
Uma, who said he always obliged the decisions of the TDP leadership, announced that he would start his election campaign from Anneraopeta village in Mylavaram Assembly constituency from the second week of February.
The political rivalry between Devineni Uma and the Vasantha family is an old one with the former defeating the MLA’s father Vasantha Nageswara Rao of the Congress from Nandigama in the 1999 and 2004 elections. After Nandigama constituency was reserved for SCs, Uma moved to Mylavaram and won in 2009 and 2014 polls.