With Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy declaring Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi as the Lok Sabha candidate for the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) from Visakhapatnam, in his third list of reshuffle of candidates, speculations abound on whether she can pull off an unlikely victory and also inspire her MLA candidates to succeed in what is a predominantly TDP stronghold.
Ms. Jhansi Lakshmi, wife of Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana, had earlier won the Vizianagaram Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket in 2009.
Notably, she becomes the second woman candidate to be fielded by Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy from Visakhapatnam. In 2014, his mother Y.S. Vijayamma unsuccessfully contested the seat, losing to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) K. Haribabu by nearly one lakh votes.
However, in 2019, riding the YSRCP wave, M.V.V. Satyanarayana won the election by a narrow margin of around 4,000 votes, defeating the Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) M. Sri Bharat. The question now arises whether Ms. Jhansi can successfully maintain the seat, especially amidst growing speculations of anti-incumbency against the ruling government.
Ms. Jhansi’s candidature had come as a surprise for many party workers, as the Botcha family has already been allotted at least four seats from various regions. Party sources indicate that the YSRCP wave is slightly diminished compared to the 2019 election, and defeating TDP in its bastion would prove to be a herculean task for Ms. Jhansi.
Also read: As elections draw closer, political churning begins in undivided Visakhapatnam district
MLAs’ support is crucial
The fate of an MP candidate rests on the shoulders of the local MLAs. Visakhapatnam comprises six MLA constituencies: East, West, North, South, Bheemunipatnam and Gajuwaka. In 2019, the party emerged victorious in all constituencies except for Gajuwaka and Bheemunipatnam, which is significant as the party had fared poorly across the State.
This time, considering the reshuffle trend, the YSRCP is poised to change both its sitting MLAs in Gajuwaka and Bheemunipatnam. The sitting MP M.V.V. Satyanarayana has been instructed to contest from East, while candidates who lost in 2019 may be considered for West and North.
South MLA Vasupalli Ganesh, who had won on a TDP ticket and later shifted his loyalties to the YSRCP, faces a challenging situation, as the TDP is likely to field Gandi Babji, who is a formidable contender. Moreover, Mr. Ganesh is confronting opposition against his candidature from within the party, particularly from elected corporators openly expressing discontent.
All eyes on TDP candidate
The prospects of Ms. Jhansi are intricately tied to who the TDP decides to nominate as its party candidate. If the party leadership decides to sail with M. Bharat, the challenge for Ms. Jhansi would intensify.
Speculation suggests that the TDP might yield the seat for the BJP and lend its support to the BJP candidate, contingent on BJP joining the TDP-JSP combine.
According to sources in the BJP, talks within the party are ongoing, and a decision on any possible tie-up might emerge post the January 22 inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
It will be interesting to see who the BJP fields as its Lok Sabha candidate in such a scenario. If the TDP decides to yield the seat to the alliance, potential BJP candidates include Rajya Sabha MP G.V.L. Narasimha Rao and former MP and AP-BJP president D. Purandeswari. Either candidate will have to secure the unstinting support of the TDP-JSP combine in order to present a formidable challenge to Ms. Jhansi.
Whatever be the equation, it is not going to be a walk in the park for the YSRCP candidate.
