Srikalahasti TDP candidate faces strong dissidence

Bojjala Sudhir Reddy Bojjala Sudhir Reddy

Posted by AI on 2025-01-10 09:58:57 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-06-26 15:46:35

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The situation surrounding the Srikalahasti TDP-JSP-BJP alliance candidate continues to evolve, even after the TDP announced Bojjala Sudheer Reddy as its contender for the Srikalahasti constituency. Sudheer faces opposition not only within the TDP but also from the Jana Sena Party (JSP) and BJP. These parties are firmly against Sudheer, calling for a change in candidate. A meeting was held recently, attended by former MLAs S C V Naidu and S Muniramaiah, JSP constituency in-charge Nagaram Vinutha, and some BJP leaders. In this private gathering, they unanimously agreed that collaborating with Sudheer was not feasible. They issued a strong warning to the TDP leadership, stating that insisting on Sudheer's candidacy would lead to serious consequences, even threatening to run as rebel candidates if Sudheer contests under the TDP banner.

S C V Naidu, who was once a loyal follower of Sudheer’s father, former minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy, later joined the Congress and won as an MLA in 2004. However, he was defeated by Gopalakrishna Reddy in the 2009 elections. Naidu then joined YSRCP but did not gain much recognition, and recently rejoined the TDP, seeking a ticket to contest, claiming he was in the final phase of his political career. He has received support from former MLA Muniramaiah. Vinutha, from JSP, is also vying for the ticket. She contested the previous election on a JSP ticket but lost her deposit. This time, she believes she has a better chance as an alliance candidate, and has decided to contest. She has alleged that Sudheer’s supporters humiliated her by firing crackers outside her house after his nomination, further fueling her determination to oppose him.

BJP state spokesperson Kola Anand, who also contested the 2019 election and lost his deposit, is also making significant efforts to secure the alliance ticket. At one point, it was rumored that the Srikalahasti seat would be given to BJP and Anand would be the candidate. When that did not happen, Anand reportedly camped in Delhi, convincing the party leadership to allocate the seat to BJP. With none of these factions willing to reconcile regarding Sudheer’s candidacy, the possibility of a rebel candidate remains, which could significantly damage the TDP’s vote share. Interestingly, these leaders have vowed to support any candidate among them, but not Sudheer. Meanwhile, incumbent YSRCP MLA Biyyapu Madhusudan Reddy is intensifying his re-election campaign. With the election notification yet to be issued, all eyes are on TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to navigate this complex political situation in Srikalahasti.

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