With just nine days left for the counting of votes in the Andhra Pradesh state assembly elections, tension is mounting within the major political parties – YSR Congress Party and the Telugu Desam Party – over the outcome of the polls.
According to sources, the TDP think tank has been deeply involved in analyzing the constituency-wise polling patterns over the last few days.
While party leaders are putting up a brave front and expressing confidence about their victory, they are also worried whether everything went according to their calculations.
Particularly in constituencies where TDP’s rebel candidates contested, the party is reported to have faced significant difficulties due to the split of pro-TDP votes. These rebels are not ordinary leaders but have considerable influence in their respective constituencies.
For example, former MLA Meesala Gita from Vizianagaram district contested the election as a rebel candidate after being denied the ticket. The TDP fielded former Central minister and senior leader Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju’s daughter, Aditi Gajapathi Raju.
Gita’s contest has become a blessing in disguise for the YSRCP in two ways. She is believed to have taken away a few thousand votes from TDP and Jana Sena, as she got the ‘glass’ symbol. Reportedly, a few hundred people cast their votes for the ‘glass’ symbol upon seeing it on the ballot.
Secondly, local YSRCP candidate Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy is powerful and more accessible to the people than the TDP candidate. Even if he is facing anti-incumbency in the constituency, he might have benefited as Gita played spoiler for the TDP’s chances.
Similarly, there are strong rebels like Siveri Abraham in Araku, Paramata Shyam Sunder in Amalapuram, M Suryachandra Rao in Polavaram, V V Sivarama Raju in Undi, and J Rajasekhar in Satyavedu who are reported to have upset the TDP’s calculations in these constituencies, sources said.
