Has YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy decided against fielding his close aide and senior leader V Vijaya Sai Reddy in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections?
The answer is yes, if the party sources are to be believed. According to these sources, Jagan has changed his mind in nominating Vijaya Sai Reddy to Rajya Sabha; and in his place, he might chose a strong Kapu leader so as to send a message into the community that his party was for the uplift of Kapus and not a Reddy-dominated party.
However, he has not yet decided as to who he should field. Sources say Jagan is considering two options: former Union minister Dasari Narayana Rao or Kapu strongman Mudragada Padmanabham.
He may prefer Mudragada, if he agrees, because he holds a lot of weight in the community and it might help him fetch good number of Kapu votes in the next elections.
Apparently Jagan was stung by Telugu Desam Party president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s strategy to woo the Kapu community and neutralise the impact of Mudragada’s agitation.
The defection of Kapu MLAs like Jyothula Nehru and V Subba Rao into the TDP has also dealt a rude shock to Jagan.
So, in order to win back the confidence of Kapus, Jagan has no option but to sacrifice Vijaya Sai Reddy for a Kapu leader in the Rajya Sabha elections, say sources.
