No clarity yet on Bheemili in 3-party alliance

Visakhapatnam: Even as the ruling YSRCP has announced its candidates to contest in the ensuing elections, the TDP, BJP and Jana Sena Party have still been working on selecting combined candidate names.

Some of the aspirants are still in a state of confusion as they have no clue about which constituency they would be contesting from.

Bheemunipatnam constituency in Visakhapatnam is one such constituency as the ticket allotment is yet to be confirmed in the seat.

Panchakarla Sandeep from JSP is aspiring for a ticket from the constituency, while former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao is showing keen interest in contesting from the same constituency. Breaking the pattern of not repeating the constituency once contested, Ganta Srinivasa Rao came forward to contest for the second time from the Bheemili segment. So far in his political career, Ganta Srinivasa Rao never repeated the segment he contested from.

However, the Telugu Desam Party leadership considered to field him against YSRCP Minister Botcha Satyanarayana who is contesting from Cheepurupalli constituency of Vizianagaram district.

But Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who served in various positions in undivided Visakhapatnam district, is not interested in contesting from a neighbouring district.

His followers and TDP senior leaders, however, predicted that Bheemili segment would finally be allotted to him in the last moment. But the former MLA did not find a place in the three lists announced by the TDP so far. Also, no announcement was made that Bheemili constituency will be allotted to Jana Sena Party.

The followers of Sandeep are already holding several programmes and meetings demanding that Bheemli seat for their leader. They are trying to mount pressure on the party high command. However, the TDP cannot afford to ignore Ganta Srinivasa Rao as he is considered as a winning horse.

Meanwhile, pinning hopes on the ticket allotment, Korada Rajababu has been serving the constituency for the past 20 years. Currently, he is the in-charge of TDP Bheemli constituency.

At a time when the TDP-JSP combine is taking its own time to allot ticket for Bheemli, YSRCP candidate Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao intensifies his poll campaign. Also known as Avanthi Srinivas, the Bheemli MLA has got into the campaigning mode much ahead. He has been visiting the constituency people, taking stock of their problems and considering steps to resolve them in an accelerated mode.

When will the TDP allot ticket to Ganta Srinivasa Rao and where is he going to contest from are the questions being raised by the followers of the former MLA.