The speculation that senior Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham might join the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) gained momentum when he met IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath in Visakhapatnam on July 27 (Thursday).
Both the leaders had a closed-door meeting that lasted more than 45 minutes.
Neither Mr. Amarnath nor Mr. Padmanabham revealed anything to the waiting media after their meeting.
“It is just a courtesy call. I know the Minister since his childhood,” said Mr. Padmanabham.
The senior Kapu leader was a Cabinet colleague of Mr. Amarnath’s father Gurunath Rao, when they both had served as MLAs in the mid 1980s.
Mr. Padmanabham, who hails from East Godavari, had led the Kapunadu movement from the front. He was a four-time MLA. He had also served as MP. Mr. Padmanabham was Minister in the TDP and Congress governments. He was also with the BJP for about four years.
Mr. Padmanabham was one of the prime accused in the case pertaining to the torching of the Simhadri Express on January 31, 2016. He was indicted in the case by the TDP government.
However, cases against him and 40 others were dismissed recently by the Vijayawada Railway Court.
Political analysts say that dismissal of cases may draw Mr. Padmanabham closer towards Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. They see it as a move to counter the growing popularity of actor-turned-politician and JSP president Pawan Kalyan.
A deciding factor
Being a Kapu, Mr. Pawan Kalyan has been championing the cause of the community and attacking the YSRCP government.
Kapus constitute a large chunk of the vote bank (about 30%), which can be the deciding factor in any Assembly election. Analysts say that a split in the vote bank can turn the tide in favour of the YSRCP, and help Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy retain power.
In this backdrop, Mr. Padmanabham can play a crucial role in either consolidating or splitting the vote bank.
Mr. Padmanabham, who had gone into political hibernation after the train incident, recently announced that he was back into active politics, without specifying his political plans or affiliations.
Mr. Padmanabham’s visit to Mr. Amarnath’s house triggered speculation that he was cosying up to the YSRCP.
