Udayagiri will be a test for Chandrasekhar Reddy

Nellore: Udayagiri Assembly constituency will be a litmus test for ruling YSRCP MLA Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy who joined TDP after being suspended from YSRCP.

The YSRCP had turned down the repeated requests of Chandrasekhar Reddy for another term this time and appointed Mekapati Rajagopala Reddy as the new constituency in-charge. As his efforts to get ticket in YSRCP failed, Chandrasekhar Reddy who felt insulted, left the party and joined TDP and claims that he would work against the YSRCP candidate. This election is now likely to turn into a family fight.

Chandrasekhar Reddy had met Nara Lokesh during his recent Yuva Galam padayatra in Udayagiri and gave an assurance that he would extend full support for the victory of TDP whosoever the candidate be. He stated this during a media conference also. TDP it is being said would in all probability field Bollineni Venkata Rao who is the present in-charge in Udayagiri Assembly constituency.

Bollineni Venkata Rama Rao of TDP had defeated YSRCP candidate Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy with a slight majority of just 3,612 votes in 2014 elections and in 2019 Chandrasekhar Reddy defeated him.

It may be recalled that Mekapati family were the strong loyalists to YS Rajasekhar Reddy. Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy got elected twice in 2009 and 2012 byelection on Congress ticket followed by Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy as YSRCP candidate in 2019. Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy's son Mekapati Goutham Reddy got elected on YSRCP ticket from Atmakuru in 2019 elections and served as minister for industries and IT in Jagan Mohan Reddy Cabinet. After the death of Goutham Reddy, his brother Vikram Reddy was elected as MLA from here .