Changing political colours pays for few

The return of the Telugu Desam Party to power albeit in the truncated State has proved beneficial to a number of political leaders who joined it just before elections. There were a few for whom the change did not pay expected dividends.

A number of Congress leaders who were planning to quit the party after the bifurcation Bill was passed in Parliament found that the Telugu Desam was not only willing to welcome them, but also give them tickets to fight the elections. The decision proved advantageous in a number of instances like Anantapur where the JC brothers won handsomely and gave the TDP that extra edge, in Visakhapatnam where Muttamsetti Srinivas Rao won the Anakapalle LS seat and three others, including Ganta Srinivas Rao, Panchakarla Rameshbabu and Kanna Babu (KSN Sanyasi Raju), returned to Assembly.

Former Congress MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao who contested Narsaraopet LS seat on TDP ticket was ahead when the last reports came in. In East Godavari, Thota Narasimham TDP, Kakinada Lok Sabha, won. In Vizianagaram Meesala Geeta won Vizianagaram Assembly seat on TDP ticket after changing over from Congress. In West Godavari P. Anjaneyulu changed from Congress to TDP and won in Bhimavaram Assembly seat, so did Pithani Satyanarayana, who bagged Achanta.

However, it was not as if it was a wave for the TDP and whoever contested on the ticket received the voters’ approval. In both Kurnool and Prakasam districts the YSRC maintained its hold and former minister T.G. Venkatesh who contested on TDP ticket lost Kurnool seat. Former Congress MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy who was given TDP ticket for Ongole LS seat was defeated by YSRC candidate Y.V. Subba Reddy. Former minister Shatrucharla Vijayarama Raju who contested Pathapatnam in Srikakulam on TD ticket lost.

Former Union minister of State D. Purandeswari who joined BJP from Congress few weeks before the elections lost Rajampet LS seat to YSRC. Vishnu Kumar Raju who entered politics by joining BJP few weeks before elections romped home from Visakhapatnam North segment.