YSRCP delays list of in-charges

Vijayawada: Following intense lobbying for seats and brewing differences among the party leaders and fast-changing political equations in the state, the YSRCP has decided to postpone its decision to release the second list of changes in the candidates and in-charges to January first week.

Party sources said the list may now be announced either on January 2 or 3. According to available information, the YSRCP would change about 50 sitting MLAs. In fact, the party had first claimed that it would change about 25 to 30 MLAs but now it appears that they may have to change around 50 of them. The YSRCP is also keeping close watch on the developments in the Congress as reports indicate that YS Sharmila would be heading the Congress in AP.

The party leadership is said to be making a fresh evaluation of the likely impact of this development and the strategies it needs to minimise the damage. It may be recalled that Jagan had called the TDP-Jana Sena combine as “wolves” coming together to defeat him. With the Congress also targeting him, it remains to be seen whether it would also be added to the list of “wolves” or not.

Meanwhile, YSRPC leaders have been reacting saying that admitting Sharmila into the Congress was a conspiracy to divide the YSR family.

The YSRCP which thought that the party leaders who may be dropped can be convinced during their meeting with regional coordinators feels that the task is not so easy and hence the party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy would himself meet the in-charges, the incumbent MLAs, the aspirants in the race and the regional coordinators and would speak to them separately.

As unrest brewing up with dissatisfaction among the MLAs, the Chief Minister decided to conduct meeting separately with both Regional Coordinators and constituency in-charges and MLAs again before finalising the second list of new constituency in-charges.

YSRCP leader Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad is also said to be unhappy as he was promised a ticket by Jagan himself but now has been sidelined saying his graph was low.

He says that he was not even getting audience with the CM. Meanwhile, supporters of the sitting MLAs are resorting to protests in their respective constituencies demanding the party leadership for retaining the incumbent candidates. They are also staging protest against appointment of new constituency in-charges at some places.