VISAKHAPATNAM: With the BJP fielding CM Ramesh for the Anakapalle Lok Sabha constituency, all eyes are now on the YSRC to name its candidate. The saffron party, which will contest the Assembly and Parliamentary elections in the State in an alliance with the TDP and the Jana Sena Party (JSP), had on Sunday night announced candidates for all the six Lok Sabha seats it will contest.
Ramesh has served as the Rajya Sabha MP twice. His current tenure is set to end next month.
It may be pointed out that the ruling YSRC had announced candidates for all 175 Assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha segments on March 16. The party had deferred naming a candidate for the Anakapalle MP seat as it wanted the Opposition alliance to announce their pick first.
Earlier, the YSRC had appointed Peela Rama Kumari, sister of Visakha Dairy chairman Adari Anand Kumar, as the coordinator for the segment to replace sitting MP Beesetti Venkata Satyavathi. However, with the BJP choosing CM Ramesh and Rama Kumari expressing her disinterest for contesting the elections, the ruling party is on the look out for a winning horse.
The YSRC will announce its nominee soon, likely before Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy begins his ‘Memanta Siddham’ bus yatra from Idupulapaya on March 27. According to sources, the party is not in a hurry as there is ample time before the elections. It has been taking all aspects into consideration before finalising its nominee, sources said. A keen tussle is likely in the Anakapalle Lok Sabha as the YSRC is expected to pull all the stops to retain it.
Earlier, the MP seat was allocated to the JSP as part of an alliance with the TDP. It was rumoured that Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan’s brother would contest from the Parliamentary constituenct. However, once the tripartite alliance was finalised, the JSP had to concede the Anakapalle Lok Sabha seat to the BJP.
Interestingly, the BJP is contesting two of the three MP seats in the erstwhile Visakhapatnam district. While Ramesh has been fielded from Anakapalle, Kothapalli Geetha has been chosen for the Araku Lok Sabha seat. The JSP will contest three of seven Assembly seats under Anakapalle Lok Sabha segment. These include Anakapalle, Yelamanchili and Pendurthi.
Nandyala ZPTC joins Congress
Vijayawada: Nandyala ZPTC Gopavaram Gokul Krishna Reddy resigned from the YSRC and joined the Congress in the presence of APCC chief YS Sharmila Reddy in Hyderabad on Monday. Speaking to mediapersons, Gokul Krishna Reddy said though he and his supporters have worked hard for the YSRC, their efforts have not been recognised. “My services were used, but I was discarded. Today, I am happy to have joined Congress. It feels like I have come back home,” he said. Duvva Srujana of Polavaram & ex-MLA Dara Sambaiah’s daughter Dara Padmaja also joined the grand old party
Ticket to JSP leaves TDP leader miffed
Tirupati: With the JSP announcing its candidate for the Tirupati Assembly seat, former TDP MLA from the segment, Sugunamma has expressed her displeasure for not being considered. Urging TDP to reconsider its decision, she has questioned the validity of the surveys conducted by TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu. She highlighted the disconnect between party leadership and cadre, emphasising that even if she were to extend her support to another candidate, the party members would not accept it. She stressed the need for considering sentiments of party members & electorate