Seat sharing row shifts to Vijayawada Central

Vijayawada: Seat sharing row among alliance parties TDP-Jana Sena-BJP seems to be shifting from Vijayawada West to Central constituency. The alliance had earlier agreed to allot two seats to Jana Sena in erstwhile Krishna district. Jana Sena has been asking for Vijayawada West and Avanigadda. BJP is seeking Kaikaluru Assembly constituency.

So far, there are no disputes on Kaikalur and Avanigadda constituencies. A row broke out between TDP and JSP as the TDP had decided to allot Vijayawada West to BJP. Jana Sena aspirant Pothina Venkata Mahesh staged protests over TDP move.

As BJP has neither strength nor cadre in Vijayawada West constituency to register a victory, it is said to be not willing to take Vijayawada West. Instead, it is reportedly asking for Vijayawada Central constituency because it has over 40,000 Brahmin voters, who are expected to favour the saffron party. The party candidate and actor Kota Srinivasa Rao was elected on behalf of BJP in Vijayawada East which also contained significant part of city which now forms Central constituency in 1999, defeating Congress nominee Ilapuram Venkaiah.

The TDP is not willing to allot the Central ticket to BJP because it had already announced the name of former MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao. Bonda Uma was elected in 2014 Assembly elections and was defeated with a narrow margin in the hands of YSRCP nominee Malladi Vishnu in 2019. Malladi Vishnu belongs to Brahmin caste. BJP leadership feels it can win the Central seat with the help of TDP-BJP-Jana Sena voters. Brahmin, Kapu and BC voters are in large numbers in the constituency.

On the other hand, former MLA and TDP leader Vangaveeti Radha Krishna met Jana Sena senior leader Nandendla Manohar and later Machilipatnam Lok Sabha Jana Sena nominee V Balashouri.

Speculation is that Vangaveeti Radha may join Jana Sena. So far, he has not made any official statement on joining Jana Sena. If he joins JSP, he may seek Vijayawada Central ticket, complicating matters for TDP nominee Bonda Umamaheswara Rao.

Denying ticket to sitting MLA Malladi Vishnu, YSRCP announced Velampalli Srinivas as Vijayawada Central candidate. Velampalli is the sitting MLA of West constituency.