Lok Sabha candidates galore for Vizag
Cultural programmes organised as part of 'Sankranti Sambaralu' in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam: Following the alliance of BJP, TDP and JSP, the competition is not just for the Assembly segments but also for Lok Sabha seats.
While a few parties suffer shortage of contesting candidates for the Lok Sabha, the trio has no such inadequacy.
Already, a number of candidates are evincing keen interest in contesting from Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat.
Apart BJP MP G V L Narasimha Rao, M Sribharat from the TDP, Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi from the YSRCP, V V Lakshminarayana from Jai Bharat National Party and KA Paul from Praja Shanti Party are in the fray. This apart, a candidate from the Congress is also likely to contest.
The new candidate adding to the MP candidates’ list includes CM Ramesh from the BJP. After the announcement of the alliance, the TDP is quite confident that the Lok Sabha seat in Visakhapatnam has been reserved for the TDP and M Sribharat is all set to contest as a combined candidate.
For the past several months, G V L Narasimha Rao has been carrying out a number of activities in Visakhapatnam, involving various communities. Some of his city-based initiatives included ‘Sankaranti Sambaralu’, ‘Republic Day Utsav’, among several others.
Until the alliance was forged, the names of GVL and Sribharat were in the forefront. However, following the alliance with the BJP, two candidates express their willingness to contest as an MP from Visakhapatnam. “The proposal to contest as Lok Sabha candidate has been brought to the notice of the party high command. They need to take a stand on it. I am willing to contest from any place they direct,” CM Ramesh said.
Meanwhile, Botcha Jhansi Lakhsmi, spouse of education minister Botcha Satyanarayana, is representing the ruling party. As a public representative, most of her political career has been spent in Vizianagaram district.
In 2019, Sribharat contested as an MP and lost with a minimum margin of votes. However, being a local, he has a fair grip over the local issues.
Similarly, GVL has been working towards resolving long pending issues and problems associated with several communities. He is expected to get community support in future.
In this backdrop, who will be gaining the LS ticket has to be seen and clarity on this is expected to arrive in a few days.