The Congress party which enjoyed glorious days in Chittoor district during the past several decades is more or less disintegrated with all its MLAs deserting the party. The party is left with only the sitting Congress MP Chinta Mohan to steer the party in the ensuing general elections.
The party is now forced to look up to second rung leaders to remain in the election fray. The tail-end district in the backward Rayalseema, despite being the home turf of the Telugu Desam Party supremo N. Chandrababu naidu, on majority of occasions proved to be a bastion for the Congress by electing party legislators from majority of the constitiencies in the district.
It is against such a glorious past that the bifurcation of the State sounded a death knell for the party and its fortunes.
While the sudden demise of Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy saw the five time MLA Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy of Punganur along with Satyavedu strong man into the YSR Congress party fold, former Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy from Pileru constituency in the district ultimately ended up floating a new political Jai Samaikyandhra Party.
Meanwhile, former Minister Galla Arunakumari from Chandragiri who joined the TDP along with her son Galla Jayadev severing her decades-old association with the Congress party, is all-set to contest the elections again on the TDP ticket. Following her is the MLA from G.D. Nellore G. Kuthuhalamma who also broke ties with the party and joined the TDP.
On the other hand former Minister R. Chenga Reddy from Nagari is said to be in a dilemma while the Chittoor strongman C.K. Jayachandra Reddy alias C.K. Babu who played an instrumental role during the Samaikyandhra movement is believed to be rather inclined fighting the elections as an Independent candidate. The fact that his wife C.K. Lavanya is being fielded as an independent candidate in the run-up to the Municipal Corporation elections in the town to certain extent substantiates his intentions.
Further compounding the difficulties of the party Sankar Yadhav from Tamballapalle and Venkatarmana from Tirupati who fought on Congress ticket during the last elections also joined the TDP.
Another strong-man Subramanyam Reddy who twice fought the TDP chief Naidu in the Kuppam constituency also joined the YSRC party.
Meanwhile, SCV Naidu from Sri Kalahasti who fought the last elections on a Congress ticket is believed to have second thought in contesting the elections this time given the anti-congress mood among the public.
The lone MLA Dr. P. Ravi from Puthalapattu who till the other day was with the Congress also broke ranks with the party and joined the TDP a couple of days back.
