It is a well-known fact that Kesineni Srinivas a.k.a Kesineni Nani enjoys popularity in Vijayawada’s Lok Sabha constituency from the Telugu Desam Party. Having the might and cadre behind him, he is seen as the go-to person in the constituency. According to sources, the Telugu Desam leadership has decided that the Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat will be given to Kesineni Nani this time too.
On the other hand, there are other people who are vying for the Vijayawada Lok Sabha ticket from YSR Congress party. Apparently, industrialist Jai Ramesh is planning to join YSR Congress party and demand for Vijaywada parliamentary constituency ticket. It is heard that Daggubati Venkateswara Rao who recently joined YSRCP has connected Ramesh to Jagan.
Meanwhile, there are rumours that Potluri Vara Prasad, film producer and industrialist, too has been vying for the same seat from YSR Congress. However, there is no clarity on this. While it is true that YSR Congress President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy is looking at a strong Kamma candidate to fight Kesineni Nani, party cadre are wondering whether Jai Ramesh fits the bill as he has not been active in politics, though he’s been a dormant TDP member.
In another case where Telugu Desam Party is trying its luck is Gudivada constituency. Kodali Nani, who is the MLA from YSR Congress for Gudivada constituency has a great hold over his constituency and is equally popular for his outright criticism of the TDP government. However, to give a tough fight to Kodali Nani, TDP is planning to get Devineni Nehru’s son, Devineni Avinash to be their candidate from Gudivada.
According to sources, Gudivada is a stronghold of YSR Congress party and therefore, Avinash may not stand a chance in winning against Kodali Nani. Avinash, whose family hails from Vijayawada, will not be seen as a local in Gudivada feel some of the TDP cadre. Therefore, his candidature for Gudivada may not do good for TDP, opine political observers.
Therefore, YSR Congress Party needs to understand that choosing a candidate like Jai Ramesh or anyone against a strong candidate like Kesineni Nani might not fetch them much. Similarly, in Gudivada, Telugu Desam needs to realise that Avinash will be too weak an opponent against Kodali Nani and may not stand a chance against YSR Congress. So, it could be a cakewalk for both Nanis in their respective constituencies!
