It’s a long wait for TDP senior leaders in ticket allotment

Visakhapatnam: The wait for senior leaders and former ministers of the TDP is getting longer as the ticket announcement for them has been delayed inordinately.

Senior TDP leaders and former ministers Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy and Ganta Srinivasa Rao are in the waiting list and their followers could hardly contain their disappointment over the prolonged delay.

As the constituencies expected by both Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy were allotted to the Jana Sena Party, speculations rife over their political future.

The TDP high command already directed Ganta Srinivasa Rao to contest from Cheepurupalli, Vizianagaram district, targeting YSRCP senior leader and education minister Botcha Satyanarayana. By fielding Srinivasa Rao, the TDP plans to reduce the education minister's influence in other constituencies in North Andhra districts.

Already, a survey has been carried out by the TDP and the report confirmed that Srinivasa Rao can defeat Botcha Satyanarayana. However, the former TDP minister did not evince any interest in contesting from the neighbouring district as he aspires to contest from Bheemunipatnam constituency. Going by the earlier trend, Ganta Srinivasa Rao will not repeat the same constituency he had once contested from. Earlier, he had won in the Bheemli in 2014 on TDP ticket.

Breaking this norm, this time, he prefers to contest from Bheemili again. But there is a campaign going on to allocate that constituency to the JSP candidate. Also, the TDP leaders say that the Bheemili ticket will be allotted to Byra Dileep Chakravarthy, who is pinning hopes on the Anakapalli MP seat.

However, the followers of Ganta Srinivasa Rao are raising strong objection over not allotting a ticket for their leader so far. With no trace of defeat registered so far, they wonder how well it would work for Ganta Srinivasa Rao if he contests from the neighbouring district where non-locals are being unwelcomed.

As the JSP candidates have not been announced yet, the followers of Srinivasa Rao hope that Bheemili constituency would be allotted to him in the last minute.

Meanwhile, the situation of senior leader and former minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy is also on shaky grounds. Party sources mention that he is likely to jump ship as he is not willing to compromise to contest from any other segment other than Pendurthi. He is not interested to give up Pendurthi constituency at any cost. In the survey conducted by the Telugu Desam Party in the last elections, there were reports against Satyanarayana Murthy. The reports revealed that if he contests from Pendurthi, he would lose. However, Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy was adamant to contest from there in 2019 and lost in the constituency as predicted by the survey report.

Currently, the name of JSP leader and former MLA Panchkarla Ramesh Babu has been finalised as the joint candidate in Pendurthi constituency. As a former MLA of the constituency, he has a good grip over the constituency.

Meanwhile, followers of Banduru Satyanarayana Murthy express disappointment over the way the senior leader, who served the party for the past 40 years, has been treated. Several cases were filed against him as he raised his voice against the ruling party’s lapses.

On the other hand, there is a strong campaign that Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy will join the YSRCP. The followers say that the ruling party is ready to allot him Anakapalli MP seat. So far, Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy has not made any official statement in this regard.

Similarly, TDP south constituency former in-charge and former MLA Gandi Babji’s name is being considered for Anakapalli Lok Sabha constituency.

However, both Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy and Ganta Srinivasa Rao are expected to get tickets in the next list to be announced by the TDP.