NDA seat-sharing sparks rebellion as TDP, JSP clash over poll tickets
In Short
Seat-sharing friction erupts between TDP and Jana Sena over mayoral and corporator seats in Vijayawada, Vizianagaram, and Salur ahead of AP local body elections.
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NDA seat-sharing sparks rebellion as TDP, JSP clash over poll tickets
Amaravati: The NDA’s seat-sharing exercise for the urban local body elections is opening fissures within the ruling alliance, with disputes between the TDP and Jana Sena over candidate selection, competing claims to key posts and the threat of rebel nominations threatening to complicate the contest. With the nomination deadline approaching, alliance leaders are struggling to reconcile local political ambitions with the seat-sharing formula agreed upon by the partners.
The strains are visible elsewhere. In Vizianagaram, Jana Sena leader G Radhika has filed her nomination as a rebel candidate for mayor. Jana Sena leader Gurrana Ayyalu has accused the alliance partners of failing to honour the spirit of the coalition and disregarding his party’s interests.
In Salur, the selection of G Vijaya Kumari as the Jana Sena candidate has angered sections of the party, who object to a ticket being given to a recent entrant from the YSRCP instead of a loyal party worker. The dispute has been compounded by the chairperson’s post being reserved for a BC woman. TDP leader Harshavardhan’s reported plans to contest were affected by the reservation, while the subsequent allocation of the seat to Jana Sena further unsettled local aspirants.
Agriculture minister Atchannaidu reportedly approached Jana Sena MLC Nagababu to seek a reconsideration of the allocation, proposing that Salur be given to the TDP in exchange for another municipality. The proposal was not accepted at that stage.
Parvathipuram has become another point of negotiation following the reservation of its chairperson’s post for a woman in the general category. Former MLC Dwarapareddy Jagadish, who recently joined Jana Sena, is reportedly seeking the ticket for his wife, Sridevi, a former chairperson. A possible compromise involving the TDP retaining Salur and Jana Sena securing Parvathipuram is being discussed, though no final decision has been announced.
In Tiruvuru, the chairperson’s post was allotted to Jana Sena, which nominated Madhavi. TDP MLA Kolikipudi Srinivasa Rao, however, is backing Naga Sravani and has publicised plans for her nomination rally, creating an open disagreement over the alliance’s official choice.
It is understood that differences have emerged among the TDP, Jana Sena, and BJP regarding corporator seats in Visakhapatnam. The Jana Sena is reportedly unwilling to accept the divisions being offered by the TDP.
Vijayawada has emerged as the biggest test of the TDP-Jana Sena understanding. Although the mayoral post has been allotted to Jana Sena, negotiations over corporator divisions in the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation remain unresolved. The expansion of the corporation from 64 to 86 divisions has increased the number of available seats, but has done little to ease competition among aspirants from the three alliance partners.
TDP MP Kesineni Sivanath, MLAs Bonda Uma and Gadde Rammohan, Jana Sena leaders Vangaveeti Radha and Samineni Udayabhanu, and BJP leaders have held discussions, but a final division-wise formula remains elusive.
Jana Sena has reportedly sought 30 divisions- 10 in each of the three Assembly constituencies falling under the corporation. The TDP has offered 17 and is understood to be considering an increase to 20, while Jana Sena is insisting on at least 25.
The TDP’s reported proposal allocates seven divisions in Vijayawada East and five each in Central and West. Jana Sena is pressing for a larger share, particularly in Central and West, while the BJP is seeking 10 seats and could receive five or six.
The dispute is particularly sensitive because Jana Sena has been allotted the mayoral nomination for Vangaveeti Radha despite having no elected representative in NTR district. TDP aspirants, who had hoped to secure the mayoral post, are now seeking a larger share of corporator tickets.
With some aspirants already filing nominations ahead of a final agreement, both parties face the prospect of rebels entering the fray. The disputes underscore the central challenge facing the NDA: translating a seat-sharing agreement at the leadership level into acceptance on the ground.
