Chandrababu Naidu likely to announce first list of candidates within a week

Amaravati: Aiming to win at least 140 MLA and 25 Lok Sabha seats, TDP national president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is contemplating to announce the first list of contesting candidates within a week keeping winnability as main criteria. 

Naidu has intensified interaction with the party leaders and swiftly completing the review meetings of different Lok Sabha constituencies. In fact, he began the process about four months ago, but he again started a fresh interaction with the leaders ahead of the polls. This second round talks with the Parliamentary party leaders commenced on Tuesday and will end by this month end, according to the party sources. 

Chandrababu Naidu is very busy at his residence at Undavalli interacting with the leaders personally and in groups. At least two to three Parliamentary Party meetings are scheduled each day. Leaders of different Assembly segments in each Lok Sabha constituency, sitting MLAs, in-charges, Lok Sabha members, district party presidents and aspiring candidates have been participating in the meetings.

Some of sitting TDP MLAs and Lok Sabha members will face rough weather ahead, as Naidu is strictly looking at winning chances of the candidates before finalizing on allotment of tickets. He has already secured feedback from different constituencies.

The TDP national president held meetings with leaders of more than 100 Assembly constituencies and 15 Lok Sabha constituencies - covering four Rayalaseema districts, Prakasam and Vizianagaram and parts of Guntur and other districts in the first phase.

Reacting on the leaders who joined the YSRCP, Naidu said that all of them are nothing but white elephants to the TDP, sources added. He further stated that, it is a good development that and the party can accommodate much better candidates in that constituencies. , quoting some of the names like Amalapuram MP P Ravindra, Chirala MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan and others.

Meanwhile, as Congress stalwart Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy’s family is all set to join the TDP, Chandrababu Naidu reportedly agreed to give them tickets for at least three Assembly constituency and one Lok Sabha constituency to them. 

On the other hand, Rajya Sabha MP TG Venkatesh has been expecting ticket to his son, but party did not assure anything on it. Naidu held meetings with leaders of Machilipatnam, Vijayawada, Rajamepeta and Kadapa Parliamentary constituencies on Tuesday and Wednesday and will conduct at least two to three such meetings per day. 

Narasaraopet MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao’s son Rangarao is aspiring for MLA ticket. TDP supremo assured that he will give only one ticket either for Sambasiva Rao or for Rangarao. Sambasiva Rao’s  brother Srinivasa Rao is also requesting Naidu to give MLC ticket for Krishna Guntur graduates constituency.