Kodumur Constituency: YSRCP leadership faces ire for selecting non-local candidate

Kodumur: The residents and voters of Kodumur constituency are bitterly opposing the candidature of Dr Audimulapu Sateesh who has been announced as Kodumur YSRCP MLA candidate. The people of almost all sections in the constituency, who are hardcore fans of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy are unable to digest the decision taken by him.

Opposing the decision, residents and voters in Kodumur are staging protests across the constituency demanding Jagan to take back the decision and declare the name of local candidate.

Sources says that Dr Sateesh is a non-local. He belongs to Markapuram in Prakasam district. He was never seen by the people of the constituency in the last five years. By profession he is a doctor and being a doctor he even did not set up a clinic at Kodumur so that people could recognise him.

They say that the Chief Minister without taking the local situation into consideration had blindly announced the name of Sateesh. In fact there are several leaders who are locals including the sitting MLA Dr Jaradoddi Sudhakar, former MLA and ex-TTD Trust Board member P Murali Krishna, former MLA, Mani Gandhi and Sandhya Vikram.

Former MLAs Murali Krishna and Mani Gandhi were always in the service of the people. But party ignored their candidature and gave ticket to an outsider, they add. The protesters declared that if the candidate was not replaced then they will ensure defeat of the YSRC party.

R Yeranna, a farmer and resident of Pulakurthy, speaking to The Hans India said there is no way that the constituency people would support Sateesh. He said even local leaders have to strive hard to win and one does not know how Jagan thought that the people would welcome Sateesh.

G Ramanjaneyulu, a private employee of Gudur mandal, said when leaders are locally available why Jagan brought a new person. With the announcement of Sateesh, Jagan has confirmed the party’s defeat in the constituency, he said.

Dandu Naresh, a resident of Gudur, also said under any circumstances Sateesh would never get support of the people. “Jagan might be thinking that he may buy votes after giving hefty amounts that formula will not work. They will happily make the opposition win if they do not reconsider their decision of giving ticket to Sateesh,” he said.