The Telugu Desam Party, which is soon to formalise its electoral alliance with the BJP, is likely to field former Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao from the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat.
The BJP is likely to be allotted Kakinada, Narsapuram, and Narsaraopet seats, apart from two more in the Seemandhra region, sources in TDP have said.
There is a lot of speculation that former Union Minister D. Purandeswari, who represented Visakhapatnam till recently and quit the Congress to join the BJP, will be fielded from Visakhapatnam again. But apparently, neither the BJP nor the TDP cadre is keen on it.
The name of president of newly formed BJP Andhra Pradesh unit K. Haribabu is also doing the rounds.
Ms. Purandeswari had already hinted that she was asked by the BJP to be game for any seat, and reiterated that she joined the BJP unconditionally.
The TDP has not been able to convert its support base into an electoral victory in the last two elections, laments a party worker.
While the Congress wave swept it off in 2004, Praja Rajyam (since then merged with the Congress) made a huge a difference in 2009, pushing the TDP to the third position.
With Palla Srinivas, who was the PRP Lok Sabha nominee in 2009, joining the TDP and the YSR Congress still scouting for a candidate, the TDP cadre are positive about the final outcome.
Back in TDPA YSR Congress leader and member of its central executive council Zaheer Ahmed came back to the Telugu Desam on Friday. Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, who was president of TD’s urban unit in the past, joined the Praja Rajyam and later the Congress. After the YSR Congress was formed he joined the party but could not continue there. Dr. Zaheer Ahmed, who runs a hospital in the city, joined the Telugu Desam in the presence of party president N. Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad.
Continuing trend
Special Correspondent
Former MLA of Pendurthi Tippala Gurumurthy Reddy joined the YSR Congress in the presence of its president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy during a public meeting at Mandapeta in East Godavari district on Friday.
He accompanied his paternal uncle and YSRC leader Tippala Nagi Reddy, with whom he had been at loggerheads till now, to Mandapeta and met Mr. Jagan who immediately admitted him into the party. Mr. Gurumurthy Reddy was elected MLA in 2004 from Pendurthi (then an undivided constituency) and in 2009 he had to face a bitter fight with his uncle who wanted to contest from Gajuwaka constituency, formed after delimitation. Both were in the fray and while a little known Chintalapudi Venkataramaiah won on Praja Rajyam ticket, Mr. Gurumurthy Reddy finished third behind Mr. Nagireddy with a difference of about 3,500 votes.
