TDP Anakapalle MP Ticket For Vijay?

The TDP has pinned high hopes on North Andhra constituencies in the forthcoming polls. TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu is more hopeful of winning many seats in North Andhra when compared to the coastal districts and Rayalaseema, as he and other senior leaders in the party believe that the party has gained strength in that region. The Graduate MLC election results breathed in a new vigour into the cadre and the party leadership is identifying winning horses for the Assembly and Parliament elections.

In this process, Chandrababu Naidu is learnt to have cast focus on finding a suitable candidate for the Anakapalle LS seat. There are three castes strongly contending for the LS seat. Members from three communities – Kapu, Gavara and Velama — had contested for the MP seat in the past. Once a fort of the Congress fell into the TDP’s kitty eventually. Since the launch of the TDP, the party had won the MP seat for five times. The Congress won four times. The YCP opened its account only in the 2019 elections.

Since 1984, only candidates belonging to the Gavara community emerged as MPs for four times while the Kapus wrested it for an equal number of times. The Velamas won as MPs for two times. In the Pendurthi, Madugula and Narsipatnam Assembly segments, the Velama community members hold the key both in the ruling and opposition parties. In Anakapalle, the fight is between the Kapu and Gavara communities.

The TDP is likely to finalise the candidate only after taking into consideration all the statistics about the election results in the past and social equations. There is buzz that Chintakayala Vijay, son of party senior Ayyana Patrudu is vying for the MP ticket. Last time, Naidu denied a ticket to Vijay on the grounds that two tickets could not be given to a single family. This time, there is talk that the TDP boss is likely to give the ticket with a condition that Vijay would alone get the ticket by setting aside his father Patrudu as he has become old.

This does not mean that Vijay would definitely get the party ticket. Former minister Konatala Ramakrishna is readying ground to join the TDP and if that happens, the ticket is likely to be allocated to him. However, Vijay is putting in all efforts and trying to be a key leader by confronting the ruling YCP in all aspects.

From the YCP, Satyavathi, belonging to the Gavara community, is the present MP. There is talk that she is not likely to be given the MP ticket next time. In that case, there are high chances for the TDP to weigh all options by taking the candidate fielded by the YCP too into consideration and then identify the right candidate from the party. This apart, the party is also likely to allocate it to a cash-rich candidate and if that comes into play, Konatala would stand better chance to be the TDP candidate than Vijay. At the same time, Naidu is also known for giving more importance to party loyalty. In such a case, the ticket for Anakapalle MP seat will have two strong contenders.