TDP-JSP Seat Sharing: Many suiters in fray for Vijayawada West

Vijayawada: Tension is mounting among the aspirants of TDP and Jana Sena Party in four Assembly constituencies of erstwhile Krishna district on sharing of seats for Assembly elections. The erstwhile Krishna district has 16 Assembly constituencies. Among them the Jana Sena is expecting four seats of Vijayawada West, Avanigadda, Pedana and Kaikaluru.

TDP may field its candidates in the remaining 12 seats if the two parties come to an understanding. Crucial meeting between the heads of two parties, N Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, on Sunday is causing lot of anxiety among the aspirants and the party cadre of the two parties.

Vijayawada West seat is the most discussed constituency in the entire erstwhile Krishna district. Jana Sena leader Potina Mahesh has been demanding the seat for a long time. He belongs to Nagaralu caste and contested in 2019 also. He is actively conducting the party activities with a hope of contesting the polls in 2024.

On the other hand, Kapu leader and former MLC Buddha Venkanna is also one of the strong aspirants of the ticket from the TDP. He recently conducted a mega rally with his supporters to show his strength in his constituency.

Former MLA and TDP leader Sk Jaleel Khan is also seeking ticket from West constituency. His contention is that Vijayawada West is the only seat where Muslims are in sizeable number and mainstream political parties are fielding Muslim candidates. He said Vijayawada West is the only constituency that is frequently allotted for Muslims from Vijayawada. Intense discussions and predictions are taking place about West constituency.

Jana Sena leader Potina Mahesh lashed out at Buddha Venkanna and Jaleel Khan stating that some leaders are playing the caste and communal politics. His supporters are strongly insisting that Jana Sena must get Vijayawada West seat.

Avanigadda, Pedana and Kaikaluru seats have sizeable Kapu voters and play decisive role in the elections. Jana Sena may insist on fielding its candidates from these constituencies. If the TDP allots these tickets as part of alliance to Jana Sena, the TDP have to contest in the remaining 14 seats.

Kapus constitute large portion of electorate in Machilipatnam, Vijayawada Central, Vijayawada east, Avanigadda, Kaikaluru, Pedana and Pamarru.

If the TDP allots four seats to Jana Sena, the Kapu voters may vote the TDP in other seats too. If the Jana Sena feels that it got raw deal in alliance with the TDP, the TDP have to pay a price. The leaders of the two parties have to assess the pros and cons of seat sharing and take decisions accordingly so that the alliance will yield fruitful results in the polls.