Several aspirants for TDP ticket in Alur

Alur (Kurnool): The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) seems to have finalised the candidature of Virupakshi as it's party candidate for Alur constituency.

Since he was given the constituency in-charge responsibilities, Virupakshi is making whirlwind tours and holding meetings. He is not having any competitor. Though sitting MLA Gummanur Jayaram has sought ticket for the third consecutive time, party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has kept his demand aside. The party had asked Gummanur to contest for Lok Sabha but he is not willing.

Jayaram became totally silent after he was denied the MLA ticket and is not reachable even over phone to the high command. With this the road for Virupakshi became easy. But the cadre of Jayaram is unhappy over the developments and is openly making statements that they will work for his defeat. There were incidents of clash between the groups of Virupakshi and Jayaram.

On the other hand, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is yet to announce the name of the candidate. For the present Kotla Sujathamma has been entrusted with the responsibility of the constituency. Apart from her Vaikuntam Mallikarjuna , Vaikuntam Jyothi and Veera Bhadra Goud are the aspirants for the ticket.

It is also learnt that the TDP is contemplating to give preference to BCs in the constituency for the ensuing polls. Nearly 90,000 of the total 2.5 lakh voters are BCs.

Vaikuntam Mallikarjuna who is also an aspirant is a senior leader. But he is facing bitter rivalry with one of their family members Vaikuntam Jyothi. The TDP chief told them that the party can consider the candidature of either of them, if both of them come to an understanding and approach the party jointly. But no such possibility seems to be in the offing.

Another senior leader Veera Bhadra Goud who has been in the TDP since its inception is another strong contender. He has contested as MLA in 2014 and lost in the hands of Gummanur Jayaram with a narrow margin of 1,919 votes.