As expected, prominent Backward Classes leader from Mangalagiri assembly constituency in Guntur district Ganji Chiranjeevi on Monday joined the ruling YSR Congress party in the presence of party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latter’s camp office at Tadepalli.
He was accompanied by Kurnool MP Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, MLC Murugudu Hanumantha Rao and senior party leaders Lella Appi Reddy and Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy.
According to party sources, Jagan is likely to appoint him as the additional coordinator of the party in Mangalagiri, a convention which started in Tadepalli assembly constituency that kicked up a row in the party.
Chiranjeevi, who hails from weavers’ community which is predominant in Mangalagiri, had been in Telugu Desam Party for a long time. He contested on the TDP ticket from Mangalagiri in 2014, but lost to Alla Ramakrishna Reddy.
In 2019 assembly elections, he was promised ticket again by the TDP leadership, but denied the same later, as TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu’s son and party general secretary Nara Lokesh wanted to contest the elections from Mangalagiri.
As a result, Chiranjeevi opted out of the contest, but has remained away from the party activities. He was hoping to get the TDP ticket again in 2024, but with Lokesh nurturing the constituency, indicating that he would contest the eelctions, Chiranjeevi had no option but to quit the TDP.
If he is given the YSRC ticket, Ramakrishna Reddy would have to either move to other constituency or drop out from the race. Apparently, Jagan has got some negative feedback on Alla and hence, he is said to be looking for a new face like Chiranjeevi.
But there is also a stiff competition from former MLA Kandru Kamala, another BC leader, who is also expecting the YSRC ticket from Mangalagiri. She met Jagan recently and posed for photographs. It remains to be seen who Jagan will prefer.
