Anantapur: With the Telugu Desam president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu targeting Kadapa district, the home turf of Opposition leader and YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, for MLC seats, the YSRC is wary about defections from the party. There is only a difference of 150 votes between the YSRC and TD, and YSRC senior leader and Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s uncle Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy is in the fray for the Kadapa local body’s MLC seat.
Though the YSRC had a majority of voters from MPTCs, ZPTCs and also municipalities, dramatic twists in the Kadapa political scene has raised many an eyebrow after TD president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu instructed party leaders to win the seat. TD party leaders reportedly succeeded to attract 19 MPTC members from various mandals in Kadapa district during the chief minister’s recent visit to Rajampeta.
Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, during his two-day visit to his home turf, will concentrate on patch works and also counter TD’s plans of getting a foothold in Kadapa district. He had expressed his concerns to the family members of former gram panchayat sarpanch Obulesh Reddy of Nandipalli in Vempalle mandal in Pulivendula constituency who died on Monday. Party sources said the YSRC chief would tour several parts of the district on Wednesday and also interact with the party leaders and cadre about the upcoming MLC polls.
Though Mr Vivekananda Reddy has been leading the campaign to keep back party cadres from migrating to TD, continued defections at the mandal-level is a worry for the YSRC in the district. “We’ve majority of the votes, but TD leaders, including in-charge minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Rajya Sabha member C.M. Ramesh, are trying to lure MPTCs, ZPTCs and municipal councillors of our party,” a senior leader observed, recalling that the TD had made fruitless efforts for the Kadapa DCC bank chairman’s post in the same way. Mr Vivekananda Reddy, meanwhile, lashed out at the Chief Minister and other party leaders saying that they were again trying to purchase voters, like in Telangana.
