Cong faces exodus

Seemandhra leaders seeking to join YSRCP or Telugu Desam

• Some looking to Kiran to float new party
• None may remain with Cong in East Godavari

While the first choice of ticket hopefuls from the Congress is YSRCP, those who feel that the doors of YSRCP are shut on them are eyeing the TDP. It may be recalled that the TDP has emerged stronger in the panchayat elections

Hyderabad/Kakinada: Congress party’s determination to pass the State Reorganisation Bill in Parliament has put a big question mark on the fate of party leaders from Seemandhra region; the jittery leaders are getting ready to quit the party which they think will be decimated in the region.

They are contemplating to join either the YSRCP or the TDP.

It is no more a question of loyalty for the party leaders from the region. Even senior leaders like J C Diwakar Reddy, Ministers TG Venkatesh, Erasu Pratap Reddy and Ganta Srinivasa Rao are set to quit the party and join either of the opposition parties.

Political equations are changing fast and polarisations of electorate are firming up along caste and community lines. While Reddys seem to be strongly favouring the YSRCP which has emerged as the only party fighting to keep the state united, Kapus and BCs, who had left the TDP before 2009 elections, are likely to return to it.

Keeping this factor in view, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu is in the process of short-listing the names of party candidates for 2014 elections. He is finding ways to accommodate about 100 BC candidates, and also allocate 15 seats to minorities. Winning chance is the sole criterion in selecting the candidates as the party has been out of power for about a decade, a senior leader said.

While the first choice of ticket hopefuls from the Congress is YSRCP, those who feel that the doors of YSRCP are shut on them are eyeing the TDP. It may be recalled that the TDP has emerged stronger in the panchayat elections.

Among those who are reportedly negotiating with the TDP in East Godavari district is Thota Trimurtulu who won the recent by-elections on Congress ticket. YSRCP leader Jyotula Nehru reportedly tried to rope him in to join YSRCP, but two party leaders P Subhashchandra Bose and P Viswarup were said to have objected to Thota’s entry. Thota is now likely to contest from Ramachandrapuram as aTDP candidate.

Another MLA Bandaru Srinivasa Rao, who was elected from Kothapeta in the district, has also decided to return to the TDP. In Peddapuram, Congress MLA Pantam Gandhi Mohan will soon join the TDP. In Amalapuram, MP G Surya Rao has already launched his campaign claiming to be the TDP candidate. Efforts are also on to see that another SC leader G Harsha Kumar also joins TDP.

However, MLA Vanga Geeta from the district seems to be facing problems in returning to the TDP. Geeta had been a key TDP leader in the district till she joined the PRP in 2009. It is said the rank and file in the TDP are opposed to her re-entry.

The presence of N Chandrababu Naidu at the marriage of Minister Ganta Srinivas Rao’s daughter on Wednesday at Visakhapatnam has given enough indications to the party rank and file that Ganta would soon join the TDP. However, his opponents like TDP politburo member Ch Ayyanna Patrudu had a meeting with Naidu and expressed his reservations. Ayyanna was said to have sought the Ankapalli MP Seat for his son and Narsipatnam Assembly seat for himself. He was also learnt to have told him that if two seats cannot be given to one family, he is willing to drop out from the race.

In Anantapur district, six-time MLA J C Diwakar Reddy is facing a peculiar situation. While his son Pavan Reddy has announced that he will join the YSRCP, his uncle Prabhakar Reddy says he will go with the TDP. Diwakar Reddy, who says he will retire from politics, he tried to advise both of them to join any one party together, but they refused. Pavan is said to be close to YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

Vundavalli Arun Kumar, Lagadapati Rajagopal and Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, among others, are also contemplating quitting Congress and want Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to float a separate political outfit to retain their identity.