Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will be contesting from his father YSR's bastion Pulivendula for the third time.
Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, CM YS Jagan, and Bapatla MP Nandigam Suresh. (X)
In Idupulapaya of Pulivendula in Kadapa district, owing to past trends and sentiment, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced his party’s candidates for 24 of the 25 Parliamentary seats and all 175 Assembly seats in front of his father YSR’s ghat, on Saturday, 16 March. The candidate for the Anakapalle Parliamentary seat is yet to be finalised.
While the Chief Minister is seeking the mandate from Pulivendula, YSR’s bastion, for the third time, he emphasised his party’s dedication to social upliftment by claiming to offer more seats for Backward Classes.
The party’s strategy in the 2019 elections showcased a deliberate approach, fielding 29 candidates in SC reserved seats and 7 in ST reserved constituencies. For unreserved seats, it nominated 41 candidates from BC communities and 98 from OC communities, summing up to 175 Assembly constituencies.
In a mild strategic shift this election, owing to their focus on Backward Classes, the party has nominated 48 candidates from BC and 91 from OC communities, while maintaining the renomination of 29 and 7 candidates in SC and ST reserved seats, respectively.
Analysing MP candidature, with nominations for 4 SC and 1 ST reserved seats, the party has nominated 10 candidates each from the BC and OC communities this election.
This time, there is a slight increase in the BC share compared to 2019, when it nominated seven candidates.
Speaking at the event, YS Jagan stated that he made changes in 81 Assembly segments without any fear and assured that he would accommodate all those who were dropped.
Interestingly, out of his 24 current Cabinet ministers, only K Narayana Swamy, who is the Deputy Chief Minister and Excise Minister, is not part of this election as his daughter Krupa Lakshmi has been nominated. The rest of the Cabinet has been renominated as candidates for various Assembly seats.
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Of the 175 Assembly constituencies, 20 women and seven candidates from Minority communities have been nominated.
Additionally, the party has allocated 14 seats to leaders from local bodies. Also, three out of the four MLAs who shifted allegiance to the YSRCP have been rewarded with Assembly tickets.
Guntur West MLA Maddali Giri, who won on a TDP ticket in 2019 and shifted to the YSRCP the very same year, was denied the ticket as Health Minister Vidadala Rajini is contesting from this segment.
Chirala MLA Karanam Balaram’s son, Karanam Venkatesh, has been nominated on his behalf, while Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi and Visakhapatnam West MLA Vasupalli Ganesh have also been nominated.
MLC KRJ Bharth, who has been nominated as the Kuppam candidate, will go up against TDP chief and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. From Mangalagiri, the YSRCP has nominated new face Lavanya Murugudu from the handloom community to take on TDP scion Nara Lokesh, who is eyeing his first win in his political career.
Regarding the MPs’ list, only six of the 22 MPs who won on the YSRCP ticket earlier are contesting again.
The six MPs include: N Reddeppa from Chittoor, PV Midhun Reddy from Rajampet, YS Avinash Reddy from Kadapa, Pocha Brahmananda Reddy from Nandyal, Nandigam Suresh from Bapatla, and Maddila Gurumoorthy from Tirupati.
AP election schedule. (South First)
Among the 22, five MPs have quit the party: Kurnool MP Sanjeev Kumar, Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Balashowry, Narasapuram MP Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, Narasaraopet MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, and Ongole MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy.
Earlier, due to the shifting of the sitting MP in Nellore Adala Prabhakara Reddy to the Nellore rural constituency to fight against the sitting YSRCP MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy who joined the TDP, Rajya Sabha MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy was appointed, but differences emerged and he shifted to TDP.
Now, in the absence of a contestant, Rajya Sabha MP and YS Jagan’s strongman Vijaysai Reddy has been announced as the Nellore Lok Sabha contestant. This is his first direct election as he was only nominated to the Rajya Sabha twice.
The Nellore city MLA and former minister Anil Kumar Yadav has been shifted to Narasaraopet Parliament seat, where he is set to contest against the incumbent MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu who joined the TDP.
Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, an MLA from Chandragiri, is set to take on the incumbent MP Magunta family as they are likely to join the TDP and seek the nomination.
Kakinada woman MP Vanga Geetha has been nominated as the Pithapuram Assembly contestant, who is set to battle it out against Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan.
Against the Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Balashowry from Jana Sena, Dr Simhadri Chandrasekhar Rao — a doctor by profession — has been nominated from the YSRCP.
Meanwhile, an advocate from Narasapuram, Guduri Uma Bala, will contest against the rebel MP Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, who is likely to join the BJP.
(Edited by Kamna Revanoor)
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