Kakinada MP Thota Narasimham’s decision to quit the Telugu Desam Party has created a flutter in both the ruling party and Opposition YSRCP camps in East Godavari district as a few leaders fear that it will wreck their political careers.
After serving as a Minister in the Kirankumar Reddy government, Mr. Narasimham crossed over to the TDP in 2014 which fielded him from the port city. Rumours of Mr. Narasimham planning to join the YSRCP so as to contest from the same seat, besides ensuring ticket to his wife Vani from one of the Assembly segments had been making the rounds for the last one year.
Faced with health issues, he decided not to contest the elections, and approached Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu last month with the demand that his wife be given an opportunity to contest from the Jaggampeta Assembly segment. In the absence of an assurance from the TDP leadership, he decided to join the YSRCP which agreed to field Ms. Vani from the Peddapuram segment. With the TDP allocating the Peddapuram seat to sitting MLA and Home Minister N. Chinarajappa, the contest is going to be tough.
Intra-party rivalry
Ms. Vani’s sudden entry has led to uncertainty in the mind of Davuluri Dorababu, who joined the YSRCP a year ago and had pinned all hopes on the Peddapuram seat. The leadership might ask him to contest from the Kakinada LS constituency to take on Chalamalasetti Sunil who recently defected to the TDP. Another candidate who is eyeing the Peddapuram seat is Mr. Rajappa’s arch rival in the party — B. Bhaskara Rama Rao. Even as the TDP was trying to convince Mr. Rama Rao to contest from Rajahmundry parliamentary constituency, Ms. Vani’s entry reportedly prompted Mr. Rama Rao to enter the fray in Peddapuram as an Independent.
