Srikalahasti TDP candidate faces strong dissidence

Tirupati : The saga surrounding the Srikalahasti TDP-JSP-BJP alliance candidate continues to unfold, despite the TDP's announcement of its candidate. Bojjala Sudheer Reddy has been nominated as the party’s contender for the Srikalahasti constituency, yet faces a strong opposition not only from within the TDP ranks but also from the Jana Sena Party and BJP. They are adamant in opposing Sudheer, demanding a change in candidate.

A meeting was held a few days ago, attended by former MLAs S C V Naidu and S Muniramaiah, along with JSP constituency in-charge Nagaram Vinutha and some BJP leaders. In this secret gathering, they unanimously concluded that collaboration with Sudheer was untenable. Issuing a stern warning to the TDP high command, they asserted that any insistence on Sudheer's candidature would lead to severe consequences. They even threatened to run as rebel candidates if Sudheer contests under the TDP banner.

S C V Naidu, formerly a trusted follower of Sudheer’s father and former minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy later joined the Congress and won as MLA in 2004. But again in the 2009 election, Gopalakrishna Reddy defeated him. Later, Naidu joined YSRCP but did not get enough recognition there. Following this, he joined TDP again a few months back and was aspiring for the ticket saying that he is in the fag-end of his political career and he wants to contest this time. He has been getting support from another former MLA Muniramaiah.

From JSP, Vinutha is also an aspiring leader for ticket. She contested the previous election on the JSP ticket but lost deposits. Thinking that she will have a fair chance of winning this time as alliance candidate, she threw her hat in the ring. Further, she has been alleging that Sudheer’s followers have humiliated her by firing crackers before her house after TDP announced the ticket for him. This added fuel to her fire and she is determined not to support him.

BJP state spokesperson Kola Anand, who also contested the 2019 election and lost deposits, has been making serious efforts to get the ticket as alliance candidate. At one stage, it was heard that Srikalahasti seat will be allotted to BJP and Anand will be the candidate. As that did not happen, a disappointed Anand reportedly camped in Delhi convincing the party central leadership to get the seat for BJP.

With none of these factions showing any inclination toward reconciliation regarding Sudheer's candidature, the prospect of a rebel candidate threatens to erode the TDP's vote share. Interestingly, these leaders have vowed to cooperate for any candidate among them but not for Sudheer. Concurrently, incumbent YSRCP MLA Biyyapu Madhusudan Reddy intensifies his campaign for re-election. With the election notification pending, all eyes are on TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to navigate this intricate political landscape in Srikalahasti.