As the election fever in Andhra Pradesh heats up, there is a lot of speculation over the winning prospects of the TDP Ministers from Rayalaseema.
Paritala Sunitha, Kalava Srinivasulu and KE Krishnamurthy are originally from the TDP whereas Bhuma Akhila Priya, Amarnath Reddy and Adinarayana Reddy won on a YCP ticket but defected to the TDP and were rewarded with cabinet berths.
Kalava Srinivasulu won from Raidurga on a slender majority defeating Kapu Ramachandra Reddy of the YCP.
Srinivasulu initially did not want to contest rom there as he was not very confident about winning but the overconfidence of Kapu Ramachandra Reddy cost the latter dearly.
But now, Kalava’s chances seem to be bleak in the face of allegations of massive corruption, in-fighting and anti-incumbency.
Paritala Sunitha needs no introduction to the people of Andhra Pradesh. For long, the district has been the fiefdom of their family and they are the richest in the district too.
However, their majority has been decreasing steadily over the years and their opponent Thopudurthy Prakash Reddy is leaving no stone unturned to emerge victorious this time.
The alleged extortion activities of Paritala Sriram have not helped the image of the Party either. Gangula Bhanumathi, wife of Maddelacheruvu Suri has also thrown her weight behind Prakash Reddy.
But the biggest hurdle to Sunitha could be from the Jana Sena. If Jana Sena contests, it could take away a huge chunk of Kapu and BC votes from the TDP.
In Pattikonda, the YSRCP in-charge Narayana Reddy was murdered and the prime accused is the son of the Minister KE Krishnamurthy.
KE might step away from the scene and allow his son to contest this time. Nevertheless, YS Jagan has already declared Narayana Reddy’s wife as candidate a long time back and the ‘sympathy factor’ is expected to sway the constituency in her direction.
Bhuma Akhila Priya is facing serious opposition from within her own faction in Allagadda and has made a lot of enemies in a short span.
Whether it be due to her inexperience or some other factor, it has now become uncertain whether she would actually be given the ticket again from Allagadda or if she will continue in the TDP.
Her principal rival in the region is the powerful Gangula family which has joined the YSRCP and is raring to go.
Minister Amarnath Reddy who won from Palamaneru on YCP ticket and jumped ship is now reportedly keen on contesting from Pungunuru in Chittoor district.
However, Chandrababu has recently announced Amarnath Reddy’s relative as the in-charge of Pungunuru fuelling speculation that Amarnath will not get the ticket from that constituency. All said and done, it is not a positive sign if the MLA/minister wants to change his constituency.
Finally, Adi Narayana Reddy, another defector from Jammalamadugu. Adi Narayana is keen on retaining the ticket but Chandrababu has reportedly promised it to his arch-rival Ram Subba Reddy.
Rumour is that Chandrababu wants Adi Narayana to contest as MP from Kadapa and everyone knows what the result will be.
Should Adi Narayana get the ticket again, it could wean the Subba Reddy faction away from the TDP but according to sources, Adi Narayan might have to contest from somewhere else.
To sum it up, it is not going to be easy for any of the current Ministers to repeat their victories of 2014. However, they have the necessary financial and muscle power to buy and bulldoze their way to a win.
Unfortunately, they face rivals now who are capable of it in equal measure. And that explains the reason for the ‘black’ mood in the TDP camp.
