Camp politics heats up in Tadipatri municipality

Tadipatri (Anantapur): Former MLA J C Prabhakar Reddy in a pre-emptive move shifted all his Telugu Desam Party newly-elected ward councillors to safer places to prevent poaching of their candidates by the YSRCP leaders. The TDP under the leadership of J C Prabhakar Reddy won in 18 wards while the YSRCP won in 16 wards. There are two independents, who are actually TDP rebels, who won and are inclined to support the TDP. Already, the two ward councillors have joined the TDP camp.

The YSRCP's plans to rope in all their 4 MLCs and make them ex-officio members of the Tadipatri Municipal Council in order to gain upper hand over TDP failed after the municipal commissioner issued a clarification that MLCs won by votes from other constituencies cannot become members of the council. The applications for membership of the council by four YSRCP MLCs including Samanthakamani, Mohammed Iqbal, Deepak Reddy and Gopal Reddy have been rejected by the commissioner stating that the MLCs do not have jurisdiction over Tadipatri. Otherwise, the 4 MLCs would have become ex-officio members and prevented TDP from taking over the reins of the council. The commissioner ruled that only MP and local MLA are ex-officio members of the council. So, with the inclusion of the MP and MLA, the strength of the YSRCP rises to 18 while the TDP will have 18 plus two independent councilors, who originally belonged to TDP. So, the YSRCPs strength is 18 and the TDPs strength is 20 in a council of 38 members. Hectic activity is on in TDP camp with all their newly-elected councillors going underground and whisked away to safer and undisclosed destination by J C Prabhakar Reddy.

Also, pressure is mounting on Prabhakar to take over the leadership of the council as its chairman. Even before counting of votes, Prabhakar Reddy announced that five councillors will be given opportunity to serve as chairman, each for a period of one-year but now to keep up the momentum of Tadipatri as the second best civic body in the country, there is a general feeling that only Prabhakar will fit into the slot and give tough leadership in the context of YSRCPs attempts to win over some of the councillors and hijack the council leadership. Meanwhile Municipal Commissioner Narasimha Prasad Reddy told The Hans India that local MLA K Peddareddy and MP Talari Rangaiah, who applied for ex-officio membership of the council have been given the membership and are invited to attend the meeting of the council meeting on March 18.

He said the other four MLCs, who applied for ex-officio membership have been denied membership on the grounds that they were non-locals and under municipal election rules and norms under Section 4(A) and sub-section (2) and (5) of the Municipal Act. Meanwhile tension prevailed in Tadipatri for some time in the afternoon when YSRCP workers forced the owner of Tata Motors Masthan to close down his shop alleging that he played active role in mobilising votes in favour of TDP and being responsible for the defeat of YSRCP in three wards 21,23 and 25. On learning of the highhanded behaviour of YSRCP workers, Prabhakar Reddy's son Ashmith Reddy rushed to the Masthan's shop and got his shop opened immediately. The TDP leader also lodged a complaint with the police and interacted with TDP leaders and dispersed crowds and posting policemen to give confidence to the shop owner.

Sources close to Prabhakar Reddy told The Hans India that the TDP councillors will remain in their camp until March 18 when the council members will attend the first council meeting.