Bandar YSRCP MP Balashowry quits to join Jana Sena; Vangaveeti Radhakrishna likely to join

AMARAVATHI: Vallabhaneni Balashowry, MP from Bandar (Machilipatnam), resigned from the YSR Congress party and announced that he would be joining the Jana Sena Party. The resignation comes in the wake of information that he would be replaced by another candidate.

Balashowry has not been getting along well with any of the MLA candidates under Bandar Lok Sabha constituency. He always worked in silos and remained aloof from the MLAs. Though he’s affluent and has connects with the rich and the influential, YSR Congress supremo Y S Jagan has decided to drop him for another candidate who is likely to join the party. Kapu vote has a solid base in Bandar Lok Sabha constituency.

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Former MLA from Vijayawada Vangaveeti Radhakrishna is being lured into the YSRCP with a bait of fielding him from the seat replacing Balashowry.

Vangaveeti Radhakrishna who stood by Y S Jagan until 2019 elections quit the party precisely for the simple reason that he was asked to contest as an MP from Bandar. However, Radhakrishna wanted to contest from Vijayawada Central Assembly seat which was given to Malladi Vishnu. This time, Vishnu was dropped and the seat is given to former Minister Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao who is currently representing Vijayawada West. Devineni Avinash is being tipped for the Vijayawada East Assembly seat. Radhakrishna is said to be joining the YSR Congress perhaps on January 17.

Kapu vote bank tilts

The large-scale shakeup and churning is continuing unabated in the YSR Coongress which is hugely harping on the caste equations, numerical strength of different waste groups with a special focus on Backward Classes (BCs). The YSR Congress, while giving due importance to the Kapus, is also being wary of the tilt in the voting pattern of the community what with the alliance between the Telugu Desam Party and Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena. Though none is sure whether the Kapu vote would actually get transferred to the TDP owing to the alliance with Pawan Kalyan, there could be a possible deflection towards the alliance parties.

In order to mitigate a likely shift or split in the Kapu vote bank, the YSR Congress is solidly banking on the BC vote which is formidable and huge, despite the fact that the BC tag is an umbrella connotation comprising multiple castes.

The caste census being conducted by the Andhra Pradesh Government that will likely conclude by February 15 would give a clear idea to YS Jagan much ahead of announcing the official nominees for different constituencies.

Incharge is not nominee

The party is not jumping the gun by calling the incharge’s being named currently for different Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies. The party is announcing the mandatory ‘safe harbour’ well in advance while announcing the lists of incharge’s who would most likely be the party nominees from the respective seats in the upcoming elections.

The YSR Congress perennially faced a pain in its neck with party MP K Raghurama Krishnam Raju, who always gave pinpricks to the leadership very soon after his election. The party did not expel him to preempt his joining hands with the BJP, given his connections at Delhi.

The YSR Congress groomed Gokaraju Ranga Raju, son of the former BJP MP Gokaraju Ganga Raju for long. In all likelihood he would be the candidate from Narsapuram Lok Sabha seat. By drifting away from the TDP, Vijayawada MP Kesininei Nani has been named the incharge and mostly the candidate for the Lok Sabha seat by the YSR Congress.

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Though Jagan desired that Narasaraopet MP Lavu Srikrishna Deva Rayalu to contest from Guntur Lok Sabha seat, almost all MLAs in unison went to Jagan and demanded that Rayalu be retained in Narararaopet.

Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, sitting MP from Ongole has almost been told that he will not get a renomination. This angered Ongole MLA Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, who is asked to move out of Ongole to Giddalur or Kanigiri. Ridden more by ego rather than logic, Balineni is insisting that Magunta be retained in Ongole MP seat. For, Balineni feels his cousin and Jagan’s uncle Y V Subba Reddy is having his way and say in Prakasam district politics.

YSRCP Parliamentary Party leader V Vijaya Sai Reddy is trying to mollify the frayed tempers and convincing Balineni to accede to the party diktat. It’s learned that Jagan is not budging on these issues and want his decision to prevail, come what may.

Tirupati MP Guru Murthy has been moved to Satyavedu Assembly seat; Kurnool MP Sanjeev Kumar resigned from the party as Minister Gummanur Jayaram has been named the incharge for Kurnool Lok Sabha. Vizag MP MVV Satyanarayana was shown the door and was replaced by Botcha Jhansi. Vizianagaram MP is not likely to get the ticket again. Araku MP candidate Godeti Madhavi has been replaced with an MLA L Bhagya Lakshmi. Rajahmundry MP Margani Bharat was moved to contest from Rajahmundry City Assembly seat.

Anantapur sitting MP was replaced with Minister Sankaranarayana, while Hindupur MP Gotanla Madhav has been replaced with J Santha, a former Bellari MP.

The party is betting big on the changes while analysts are skeptical about this drastic move as it could prove to be a super hit or a flop show.