Will rift between 2 leaders dent TDP’s winning chances?

Mantralayam (Kurnool district): Two TDP leaders parting ways is likely show adverse results in 2024 elections, after party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu allotting Mantralayam constituency MLA ticket to Boya Raghavendra Reddy, ignoring Palakurthi Thikka Reddy, who aspired for the ticket. The two leaders started alleging each other and campaigning to prove their strength.

P Thikka Reddy participated in an Atmeeya Samavesam held by Dalits, sarpanches and MPTCs at Mantralayam on Thursday. Pointing out that Raghavendra Reddy was earlier with Mantralayam YSRCP MLA Y Bala Nagi Reddy and just three months ago, he left the sitting MLA and joined TDP, Thikka Reddy questioned as to how party chief gave the ticket to such person. Some persons have misled Chandrababu Naidu over this, he added.

Thikka Reddy further said that Raghavendra Reddy is not a competent candidate to face Bala Nagi Reddy and the former will definitely lose the election. Stating that he will not quit the party under any circumstances, he said that he will stay with the party and contest as TDP rebel. Thikka Reddy exuded confidence that Naidu will certainly allocate the ticket to him once he explains the ground facts.

When The Hans India asked Mantralayam TDP candidate Boya Raghavendra Reddy about the differences between him and Thikka Reddy, he pointed out the party gave him two chances, in 2014 and 2019 elections and on both occasions he was defeated by Bala Nagi Reddy. ‘How the party will give chance again and again to him, who has been losing every time,” he questioned. Besides, party chief Chandrababu Naidu allocated the ticket to BC community since Mantralayam constituency has huge number of BC voters, he explained.

Replying to the allegations of Thikka Reddy that he was a covert of Bala Nagi Reddy, Raghavendra Reddy said, ‘If I was covert then why I strived to make Lokesh Yuva Galam programme a grand success.’ Quipping Thikka Reddy’s allegations as nothing but jealous for neglecting him, Raghavendra Reddy claimed that he is getting huge response from all sections of people and expressed confidence that they will hoist party flag in Mantralayam constituency.