TDP clears candidates for 11 out of 14 Assembly seats

Anantapur/Puttaparthi: Telugu Desam Party has so far finalised names of 11 candidates pertaining to the united district of Anantapur.

As many as nine names were cleared in the first list. Two more were released in the second list on Thursday, while three seats related to Anantapur, Dharmavaram and Guntakal Assembly segments are still pending.

Palle Sindhura Reddy, daughter-in-law of senior TDP ex-minister Palle Raghunath Reddy, for Puttaparthi constituency; and Kandikunta Yashoda Devi, wife of former MLA Kandikunta Venkata Prasad, for Kadiri Assembly constituency were cleared on Thursday.

The nine candidates cleared in the first list include Payyavula Keshav for Uravakonda, Paritala Sunitha for Raptadu, Amilineni Surendra Babu for Kalyandurg, Kalava Srinivasulu for Rayadurg, N Balakrishna for Hindupur, JC Ashmith Reddy for Tadipatri, Sunil Kumar (son of ex-MLA K Eranna) and Savithramma for Penukonda constituency.

Name of Varadapuram Suri for Dharmavaram is yet to be announced, this segment is most likely to go to BJP as part of the alliance, and G Jayaram for Guntakal constituency. There are second thoughts about Anantapur segment whether to retain for TDP or give it to Jana Sena Party.

By and large 11 names have been cleared so far out of 14 Assembly constituencies. By this weekend, names for Dharmavaram, Anantapur and Guntakal constituencies will also be cleared, as per sources.