TDP names candidates for Kurnool LS, Assembly seats

Amaravati: Setting a new trend and stealing a march over the YSRCP, the Telugu Desam Party on Monday announced the names of candidates for the Kurnool Lok Sabha and Kurnool Assembly constituencies for the next elections whenever they are held.

Information Technology Minister N Lokesh said the sitting MP Butta Renuka and sitting MLA SV Mohan Reddy will be fielded by the party. Butta Renuka won the Kurnool Lok Saba seat on YSRCP ticket but later defected to the Telugu Desam Party.

Interacting with the party workers in Kurnool on Monday, Lokesh wanted them to ensure their victory at the hustings.By naming the contesting candidates, the Telugu Desam Party made the first move in the electoral battlefield and is now waiting for the YSRCP response.

The move is perceived to be one intended to break the morale of the YSRCP workers and leaders that the TDP is already battle-ready and is confident of winning the elections hands down.

A TDP leader said Lokesh, who had been striving hard to make the party strong internally for the last four years, knew its present strength more than anyone else and this knowledge is making him confident of winning the elections.

"There is no way the YSRCP could come anywhere near us," the leader said. Lokesh had recently announced that in 2019, he would be taking a dive into direct elections.

He is at present MLC and is yet to face rough and tumble of direct elections. It is seen that the announcement of the names for the Kurnool Lok Sabha and Assembly seats sent out a signal that he would back only the winning horses in the election.