The by-elections to Kurnool MLC seat under local bodies’ quota has turned out to be an anti-climax for the YSR Congress party.
Within hours of the party’s Kurnool district unit president Y Ramaiah declaring that the party is opting out of the contest for the MLC elections on the ground that it did not want to give any scope to the ruling Telugu Desam Party to indulge in horse trading of its MPTCs and ZPTCs using its money power, YSRC leader Gouru Venkat Reddy announced that he is going to fight the MLC elections, irrespective of whether the party will agree for it or not.
This has created a confusion among the YSRC leaders and cadre.
While Ramaiah said it was the decision of YSRC president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy not to contest the MLC elections, Venkat Reddy said he would meet Jagan and convince him that the party should contest the elections since it would send a wrong signal for the people.
Apparently, Jagan decided against fielding the candidate in the MLC elections after coming to know that the TDP had finalised the name of Mandra Sivananda Reddy, TDP in-charge for Nandikotkur constituency.
Sivananda Reddy, who happens to be brother-in-law of Gouru Venkat Reddy, was a retired IPS officer originally from the YSRC, but joined the TDP after 2014 elections.
Jagan feared that if Silpa Chakrapani Reddy is fielded, the Gouru group might support Sivananda Reddy.
But within minutes of Jagan announcing the decision not field the candidates in the MLC elections, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu finalised the name of K E Prabhakar. This has shocked the YSRC leadership. But since Jagan has already announced that it was opting out of the contest, he cannot go back on his word.
That is precisely why when Venkat Reddy met him in Anantapur and requested that he would contest the elections, Jagan categorically said no, since it is a matter of prestige for the party.
So, Venkat Reddy had no option but to backtrack on contesting the MLC elections. Now, it is a matter of time that KE Prabhakar will get elected as the MLC unanimously!
