Petteti likely BJP candidate from Nellore

Nellore: Amid the discussions over electoral alliance between TDP, BJP and JSP, the BJP has proposed Petteti Surendra Reddy as it's nominee for Nellore Assembly segment in the coming 2024 elections.

BJP senior leader Petteti Surendra Reddy, a close follower of former Vice-President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu, is a law graduate and resident of Nellore city.

He worked in various capacities in Akhil Bharat Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) as Nellore district president, general secretary and others.

According to highly placed sources, BJP high command was keen on finalising Surendra Reddy’s candidature from Nellore city, if the talks over electoral alliance fails. The party is in consolidation with some sections of people like Brahmin and Vysya communities and most importantly scores Marvadi community people, who hailed from Rajasthan and settled here for several years. It may be recalled that in 1952, Khandavalli Krishna Rao from Brahmin community contested as independent candidate with the support Akhil Bharat Jana Sangh (ABJS) and later in 1967, Annadata Madhava Rao (Brahmin community) from ABJS won from Nellore city.

Later, ABJS party candidates Dega Narasimha Reddy and Sannapureddy Suresh Reddy contested with electoral alliance with TDP in 1999 and 2004 elections from Nellore city. They were defeated by Congress nominee Anam Vivekananda Reddy with a margin of 5,656 votes (Dega Narasimha Reddy) and by 21,772 votes (Sannapureddy Suresh Reddy) respectively.

After nearly two decades, BJP is proposing to field its candidate either with electoral alliance or individually in 2024 elections.