Kanna locked in a triangular contest

Guntur: Former minister Kanna Lakshminarayana is locked in a tough battle against his TDP opponent and Narasaraopet former MP Modugula Venugopala Reddy in the Guntur West Assembly constituency. Though it looks a triangular contest, TDP claims it as one of the assured seat for the party. Kanna, a five-time legislator and a strong Congress leader, stood firmly behind the party, as every other leader left.

Though the party had requested him to contest for the Guntur Lok Sabha seat, Kanna preferred to stay back to his Assembly seat, banking on welfare programmes implemented in the last 10 years. His campaign is based on Rajiv Arogyasri, fee reimbursement and pensions. Interestingly, YSRCP too stakes lays claims on these schemes. Its nominee Lella Appi Reddy banks on them. He claims that the beneficiaries would teach a lesson to the Congress, thus making his victory certain. Venugopala Reddy, who had played key role during Parliament passing the Bifurcation Bill, has earned good-will in this segment too. He is seen as a Seemandhra hero. His tough fight inside and outside Parliament against the bifurcation process is an advantage for him, though he is new to this place and the cadre. With corporate background and five years of experience as MP from Narasaraopet, Reddy is ahead of his opponents in the campaign, thus creating a positive talk in his favour. Appi Reddy, a close confident of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, is banking on the party wave claimed to be blowing across Seemandhra.