YSRCP's Sankaranarayana commences campaign

Anantapur: YSRCP had finalised candidates for Anantapur and Hindupur Lok Sabha constituencies.

For Hindupur Parliamentary constituency, Joladarashi Shanthamma has been given the ticket. She is an ex-MP from Bellary Lok Sabha constituency. She joined the YSRCP after her candidature was recommended to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Shanthamma originally hails from Guntakal town.

Sitting MP Gorantla Madhav was denied re-nomination by the Chief Minister and party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for his controversial style of functioning and the ugly video showing the MP semi-nude which went viral on the social media.

The woman ex-MP Shanthamma replaced the sitting MP Gorantla Madhav. In 2014, senior TDP leader Nimmala Kistappa was elected as MP. Kistappa is likely to be re-nominated by the TDP but his candidature has been kept on hold as the BJP also is contemplating to fields its candidate as part of the seat-sharing arrangement in the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance. The BJP intends to contest from 6 MP seats in AP.

For Anantapur Lok Sabha seat, the YSRCP has fielded ex-minister and Penukonda MLA Malagundla Sankaranarayana for the ensuing elections. It is learnt that he has reluctantly accepted the party decision. However, he has started his campaign with the help of local YSRCP MLAs.

He is also planning to take the help of sitting MP Talari Rangaiah and involve him in campaigning for his victory.

Rangaiah has earned good name as an MP. Sankaranarayana is now pulling all strings to connect with leaders in the seven Assembly constituencies.

TDP candidate for Anantapur MP constituency is yet to be finalised. In 2014, J C Diwakar Reddy was elected as MP. Subsequently, his son J C Pawan Reddy unsuccessfully contested on behalf of TDP in 2019. He lost the election to YSRCP’s Talari Rangaiah.

The TDP is yet to take a decision on whether to field a BC candidate as the ruling YSRCP has already announced the candidature of a BC candidate.

Both the mainline parties, YSRCP and the TDP, do not have experienced candidates. Only a wave can see them through, be it YSRCP or TDP far beyond their personal image.