As expected, the announcement of first list of candidates by Telugu Desam Party-Jana Sena Party combine has triggered a lot of unrest, anger and revolt from the party leaders and cadres of both the parties at several places.
In Krishna district, the TDP cadres erupted in anger so much so that they tore down and burnt the banners, flex boards and effigies of party president N Chandrabbau Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh at several places.
Senior TDP leader and state party vice-president Buragadda Vedavyas, who was expecting the party ticket from Pedana assembly constituency and has already started campaigning, was crest-fallen on being denied the ticket, which was given to Kagitha Krishna Prasad.
Vedavyas fainted on the announcement of the list and he was taken to the hospital for treatment.
“Naidu gave me assurance several times and I have been spending a lot of money on campaigning for the last several days. I never expected that he would cheat me like this,” he said.
He, however, did not say he would leave the TDP.
“I shall meet Naidu and Pawan Kalyan shortly and explain to them the injustice caused to me. Hope they will do justice. Otherwise, I shall contest as an independent,” he said.
In Anantapur, where the TDP has high hopes of winning good number of seats, the latest list created tremors. In Kalyanadurgam, senior party leader and former MLA V Hanumantharaya Chowdary was expecting the ticket, but it was given to a popular contractor Amilineni Surender Babu of SR Constructions.
Chowdary and another aspirant Madineni Umamaheshwar Naidu expressed resentment over the allocation of ticket to Surender Babu.
“It is not to correct to ignore leaders who have been loyal to the party for quite a long time and give the ticket to a new comer, that too, a civil contractor. We shall not work for him,” they said.
The local TDP workers were agitated over the development and they, too, burnt the flex boards and posters of Naidu and Lokesh. They challenged that the TDP won’t win the seat.
The allotment of Nellimarla seat to Jana Sena Party also led to a lot of resentment among the TDP ranks. The Jana Sena has fielded Lokam Madhavi from Nellimarla, but the local leaders say the TDP is very strong in the constituency.
“It is the first seat the alliance will be losing in Vizianagaram,” a WhatsApp message from a local TDP leader said.
Similarly, in Gajapathinagaram constituency, too, the TDP has denied the ticket to local in-charge K A Naidu and given it to a newcomer Kondapalli Srinivas, who, it is learnt, stands no chance of winning. Soon after the announcement of the list, Naidu resigned from the party.