MLA quota MLC election to begin in a while, all eyes on seventh seat with TDP in fray

AMARAVATHI: The MLC elections under the MLA quota are all set to begin in Andhra Pradesh in a while with YSRCP and TDP locking horns for one seat, while the ruling party would win six seats easily. The election for seven MLC seats is scheduled to be held from 9 am to 4 PM followed by the counting of votes at 5 PM and the announcement of results.

As many as eight candidates are in the fray including seven from YSRCP and one from TDP and the leaders from both parties flocked to Vijayawada city thus making the city filled with political fervor.

With the TDP candidate in the fray, the YSRCP is expressing concern over cross-voting and has taken all possible measures to overcome the crisis. The party has divided the total MLAs among seven candidates and assigned the responsibility to crucial leaders and ministers to ensure the members voted properly without resorting to cross-voting.

The Intelligence Department was also deployed to find out the members who are ready for cross-voting.

Meanwhile, the TDP, which is in the fray without enough strength, has relied on the cross-voting from the YSRCP as there are a couple of MLAs who expressed dissatisfaction with their party leadership. However, with eight candidates in the fray for the MLC elections, the politics in Andhra Pradesh are geared up and it remains to be who would get the upper hand.

Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy and Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, YSR Congress MLAs from Nellore district, would surely go for cross voting or make their votes invalid. One YSRC MLA from old erstwhile West Godavari district, Vasantha Krishna Prasad (YSRC from Mailavaram, Janasena MLA from Razole Rapaka Varaprasad who crossed over to YSRC, are all said to be nursing a grievance against the leadership and are likely to make their invalid, according to sources.

Four TDP MLAs — Vallabhaneni Vamsi, Karanam Balaram, Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar and Maddali Giri — switched their loyalties to YSRC long ago.

Presently, if the YSRC can have all its MLAs, including the crossed over loyalists, vote for its candidates, the 156 votes would be sufficient. The TDP’s Panchumarthi Anuradha will win if the TDP can get three more votes from the disgruntled elements of the ruling party.

Actually, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is very deft at managing such elections. He has done this feat of having Daggubati Venkateswara Rao elected, defeating Congress nominee T Venkattram Reddy of Deccan Chronicle, by one vote in 1996 Rajya Sabha elections.

Now, the YSR Congress, which just lost three direct elections in the graduates MLC constituencies to the TDP, will have to face further embarrassment if it cannot get the seventh candidate elected Ina definite voting.