Uncertainty prevails over the contest of the Telugu Desam Party in the upcoming by-election to the legislative council from common Visakhapatnam district local bodies’ constituency.
Reason: there were reportedly different opinion within the party and also the alliance partners over contesting the polls, in the view of poor strength of the alliance in the MLC electorate.
TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu held a lengthy meeting of the leaders of his party and also Jana Sena and the BIP from Visakhapatnam, ASR and Anakapalli districts to decide on the consensus candidate for the MLC polls.
Some of the TDP leaders exuded confidence that the party can win the MLC election, though the alliance has only 200-odd votes, compared to 620 of the YSRCP.
They told Naidu that many of the corporators and councillors, besides MPTC and ZPTC members were inclined towards the TDP.
However, many other TDP leaders and BJP-Jana Sena Party leaders are apprehensive that if there is not enough cross-voting of the YSRCP voters in favour of the TDP candidate, it would bring down the image of the TDP and give an upper hand to the YSRCP.
They reminded to Naidu that the YSRCP had already shifted its voters to various camps, besides taking them to north India tours. So, it is becoming difficult for them to contact them and lure them towards the TDP.
Naidu reportedly made an enquiry how many number of votes the TDP and the alliance partners have in the constituency in both urban and rural local bodies. He also asked them how many other votes they could mobilise.
“It appears Naidu is of the view that irrespective of whether the party will lose or not, it should contest the elections, as fighting the election is necessary in democracy. We cannot concede the defeat to the YSRCP without fight,” he reportedly told them.
