YSRCP has edge, but Naidu has his plans

The by-election to MLC seat which was necessitated due to the defection of Vamshi Krishna Srinivas into Janasena party before the assembly elections is going to be prestigious for both YSR Congress party and the NDA alliance. While Jagan believes that these polls will provide a great opportunity for his party to stage a comeback after the unexpected drubbing in the recent polls, NDA wants to thwart his plans with its strategies and assert dominance.

As this MLC seat is under the local bodies quota from the united Vishakapatnam constituency, YSRCP has an edge over the NDA because of its voter strength among ZPTCs, MPTCs, Councillors and Corporators from Vizag, Anakapalli and Narsipatnam. Out of the 822 votes, 697 of them are from YSRCP and the remaining 225 are with the NDA parties. So, the YSRCP has got a better chance to retain the seat.

However, the game is not over yet for the NDA because of the recent developments in Vizag politics. Several corporators from GVMC joined TDP en masse last month. Some others are likely to join the Janasena party very soon under the presence of Pawan Kalyan. Moreover, the fact that by-elections usually favour those in power because voters tend to incline towards the ruling party due to various reasons is another aspect which will play a crucial role in the outcome.

Wasting no time, Jagan announced veteran politician Botsa Satyanarayana as the YSRCP candidate for this election. The NDA alliance is considering several equations before finalising its candidate. Former MLAs Gandi Babji and Peela Govind are the forerunners to grab the opportunity.

Chandrababu Naidu is known for his political acumen and poll management. He knows that his government cannot afford to allow Jagan make a comeback in just two months after the assembly elections. So, he will pull all stops to make sure that the NDA alliance captures the prestigious MLC seat and improve its tally in the council which will help the government pass important bills. He has his plans on how to upset the YSRCP once again like he did in the recent polls.