VIJAYAWADA : Labour Minister and Alur MLA Gummanur Jayaram, who has been asked to contest the Kurnool Lok Sabha seat, is unlikely to follow the line of the YSRC leadership, and making moves to join Opposition parties.
As part of its ‘Mission 175’, the YSRC has effected several changes of its Assembly and Lok Sabha constituency incharges/coordinators, and made Jayaram incharge of Kurnool Lok Sabha seat. Following the denial of party ticket, Dr S Sanjeev Kumar, sitting Kurnool MP, has resigned from his post as well as the party.
According to sources, Jayaram has gone incommunicado since his appointment as the incharge of the Kurnool Lok Sabha seat. The YSRC leadership has made efforts to convince Jayaram but in vain.
He is said to have gone in touch with the TDP leadership, but the Opposition party too has refused to allot Alur Assembly seat as it belongs to former MLA Kotla Sujathamma.
Now, Jayaram seems to be weighing the option of contesting from Guntakal Assembly segment in the neighbouring Anantapur district, which has been offered by the TDP.
Jayaram is also said to be considering joining the Congress, which showed some signs of revival after YS Sharmila has taken over the reins of the party in the State.
The YSRC, on the other hand, is looking for alternatives if Jayaram does not budge. It is likely to give the seat to former MP Butta Renuka, who hails from the Padmashali community. Renuka won as Kurnool MP on YSRC ticket in 2014. But, she later defected to the TDP, and rejoined the YSRC. Though she was assured of Yemmiganur Assembly seat initially, another leader has been appointed as incharge of the constituency. Now, she is said to be trying to get the nod from the party to contest the Kurnool Lok Sabha seat.
As the former MP of Kurnool, she has a strong hold on YSRC cadre, sources said.
The YSRC is also exploring the option of fielding Kurnool Mayor BY Ramaiah from the Lok Sabha constituency as he belongs to the Valmiki community.
“Jayaram may be the first minister of the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy cabinet to quit the YSRC, if he goes ahead with his plans to join the TDP,” observed a political analyst.
