The entry of former Union minister Sujana Chowdary into the contest from Vijayawada (West) assembly constituency on behalf of Bharatiya Janata Party in the ensuing elections in Andhra Pradesh has created ripples in both the alliance partners – Telugu Desam Party and the Jana Sena Party.
While former MLA Jaleel Khan was extremely confident of getting the TDP ticket, Pothina Mahesh, a die-hard fan of Pawan Kalyan, was damn sure that he would get the Jana Sena Party ticket.
Both the leaders were campaigning for themselves aggressively even before the seat sharing talks among the NDA alliance partners concluded.
Finally, Sujana entered the scene and snatched away the Vijayawada (West) seat from them, as it was allotted to the BJP as part of the alliance.
Now, both Jaleel Khan and Pothina Mahesh are fretting and fuming at their respective party leaderships. They are not ready to cooperate with the BJP candidate, though he has the backing of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan.
According to latest reports from Vijayawada, Jaleel Khan is planning to quit the TDP and join the Congress, which is looking for a suitable candidate for Vijayawada (West) constituency, which has considerable Muslim population. He is expected to take a call in a day or two.
Similarly, Pothina Mahesh is also all set to revolt against Pawan Kalyan. Though he may not immediately resign from the party, he would contest as a rebel candidate for the seat, as he has a huge support base in the constituency.
Then there is another strong aspirant for the seat. He is senior TDP leader Buddha Venkanna, who has been fighting against the YSR Congress party for the last five years.
He, too, is terribly disappointed with the seat being given to the BJP. It remains to be seen what he would do next.
