TDP finalises 14 candidates in Krishna

Vijayawada: The TDP has announced candidates list for 14 seats out of total 16 Assembly constituencies in Krishna district in the first list itself. Still, the party didn't give clarity on the candidate of Pamarru reserved constituency which is very special to TDP leadership as Nimmakuru and Komaravolu, the native villages of its party founder NTR and his wife Basavatarakam come under the constituency.

Similarly, the TDP did not announce candidate for Pedana Assembly constituency also. On the other hand, Kovvuru MLA and Minister for Excise K Jawahar was given ticket in Tiruvuru constituency. Interestingly, the party gave chance to two new faces.

Ministers Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao and Kollu Ravindra are again selected to contest from Mylavaram and Machilipatnam Assembly constituencies which they have been representing. The names of senior MLAs Mandali Buddaprasad (Avanigadda), Sriram Rajagopal (Jaggaiahpet), Gadde Rammohan (Vijayawada East), V Vamsimohan (Gannavaram), Bonda Umamaheswara Rao (Vijayawada Central), Tangirala Soumya (Nandigama) have also been included in the first list.

Apart from this, Vijayawada West constituency MLA Jaleel Khan's daughter Shabana Khatoon got seat in her father's place while Devineni Rajasekhar (Nehru)'s son Devineni Avinash also secured ticket from Gudivada Assembly constituency. Both are in the election race for the first time in their political career.

The TDP gave ticket to Muddaraboina Venkateswara Rao for second time from Nuzvid though he failed last time. The TDP gave chance to former MLA Jayamangala Venkata Ramana from Kaikaluru Assembly constituency. The seat was allotted to the BJP in the last elections.

But the TDP did not announce candidate for Pedana constituency from where senior TDP leader and Pedana MLA Kagita Venkata Rao was elected four times. The party is searching for alternative plans to announce candidate. As per the sources, the survey reports are against the prospects of incumbent MLA Kagita. In the same way, there is no clarity about Pamarrru MLA Uppuleti Kalpana's candidature.

She was elected on YSR Congress in the last elections and later joined TDP. The surveys of party are not in favour of her candidature. In this backdrop, the TDP leadership is making plans to field Kalpana's husband and who is also a former IRS officer. The leadership feels that the victory in Pamarru is very prestigious to the party.

TDP founder and NTR's native Nimmakuru and his wife Basavatarakam's native Komaravolu villages are in the constituency. Moreover, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's wife N Bhuvaneshwari adopted her mother's village and implemented various welfare schemes.

Hence, the TDP leaders are keen to select suitable candidate. Interestingly, Kovvuru MLA and Minister for Excise Jawahar has been given Tiruvuru ticket, which is his native place. But he settled in Kovvuru and was elected from there. But this time, the local leadership opposed Jawahar's candidature. Party leadership is not satisfied with the performance of former Tiruvuru MLA and constituency party in-charge N Swamidas candidature.