The two-day electioneering by the TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu in West Godavari district on Thursday ended with a showdown by the ticket aspirants. He addressed impromptu gatherings at Tanuku, Devarapalli and Eluru on Wednesday and Thursday, covering the three Lok Sabha constituencies of Eluru, Narsapur and Rajahmundry. Ticket-seekers corner TDP president
The Kakatiya Kalyana Mandapam in Tanuku, where he made a night halt witnessed a wave of protests by those who lost in the ticket race and pleas by those who have faint hope, from both West and East Godavari districts. Those who sought to find an outlet in the visit of Mr. Naidu to give vent to their pent up feelings included the ‘victims’ of the TDP-BJP alliance and the defectors from the Congress.
The followers of Varma from Pithapuram in West Godavari district reached Tanuku soon after arrival of Mr. Naidu on Tuesday night with a plea against allotment of the seat to the Congress defectors. This was followed by a similar show by the followers of party senior leader Gorantla Buchiaah Chowdary in Rajahmundry seeking his re-nomination.
The followers of former Congress MLA Kottu Satyanarayana made a similar demonstration against ceding of Tadepalligudem to BJP. The TDP sitting MLA from Kovvuru (SC-reserved) Rama Rao led a demonstration into the function hall of the kalyanamandapam seeking his retention. His followers conveyed their feelings through drum beats, placards and slogan-shouting. The aides of Mr. Atchibabu, a scion of Dommeru zamindars and a power centre in the TDP, also resorted to a show of strength to counter the one led by Mr. Rao.
The intra-party rival groups led by aspiring candidates in Palacol, former MLA T. Satyanarayana Murthy and Nimmala Rama Naidu embarrassed the TDP chief by turning the kalyana mandapam into a platform for a showdown. This apart, the associates of a private engineering college proprietor from Avanigadda in Krishna district pleaded for ticket for their leader.
In Eluru too, the ticket-seekers, including former MLA Peetala Sujatha and Jayamangala Venkataramana, made a futile attempt to prevail upon Mr. Naidu their pleas for the tickets.
