The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has finalised its candidates for most of the Assembly and Parliament constituencies in Seemandhra but is stopping short of releasing the lists fearing that those who are denied tickets will work against the party in the local bodies’ elections.
In Telangana, the party has completed the exercise in Khammam, Nalgonda, Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad districts. Sources, however, admitted that the party has been finding it difficult to get suitable candidates in other districts of Telangana after desertion by most of the leaders following its decision to favour united State.
When contacted, a senior leader of the party who preferred not to be quoted said the party leadership has been naming coordinators to the Assembly and Parliament constituencies instead of announcing them as the candidates. “Those coordinators will be announced as party candidates in a majority of constituencies at the right time but there is dispute in case of some constituencies where new coordinators have been named in the recent weeks”, the YSR Congress leader explained. As part of his ‘Jana Bheri’ campaigning, party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy has been announcing party candidates in some constituencies but their number is only handful. The party sources pointed out that Mr. Jagan Reddy has been naming most of the prospective candidates only as coordinators, citing the example of Koneru Rajendra Prasad, A. Ayodhya Rami Reddy, Thota Chandrasekhar and many others. Only in case of few seats such as Khammam parliamentary constituency Mr. Jagan Reddy has named the candidates directly. The sources said there were too many aspirants for Assembly seats in East Godavari, West Godavari, Visakhapatnam and a few other districts. In Rayalaseema, the party has finalised candidates for all constituencies except a few seats in Anantapur and Chittoor districts. “New coordinator was named for Kadiri seat in Anantapur a few days before party’s honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma’s campaigning there earlier this month causing a heartburn for the incumbent who has been preparing to contest”, the sources said.
