TDP caught in catch 22 over Allagadda bypoll

HYDERABAD: Ruling TDP leaders in Andhra Pradesh are in a catch-22 situation as far as contesting the ensuing bypoll to the Allagadda Assembly segment in Kurnool district.

A section of TDP leaders from Kurnool district, including deputy chief minister KE Krishna Murthy, are said to be in favour of opting out of the race as they were afraid of defeat whereas another section of leaders want the party to be in the fray so as to instil confidence among party cadres.

The argument of those leaders, who do not want the TDP to contest the polls, is that by doing so they should reciprocate the gesture of the YSRC, which had not fielded its candidate in the recently-held byelection to Nandigama Assembly segment as the poll was necessitated because of untimely death of the then TDP MLA Tangirala Prabhakar Rao.

Though the TDP leaders for record sake were saying that their party should not contest Allagadda bypoll since the YSRC contestant died during campaign, the actual reason is understood to be that the TDP leaders belonging to Kurnool district fear that the ruling party will have to face a humiliating defeat in Allagadda, if the party is in the fray, as the segment is a bastion of the YSRC, particularly Bhuma Nagireddy's family.

'The TDP has no suitable candidate in Allagadda which is the stronghold of Bhuma Nagi Reddy's family. If we lose the bypoll, it would have negative impact on the party,' a top TDP leader said.

Another reason for the TDP leaders reluctance to contest the bypoll is that party leaders Gangula Prabhakar Reddy, who had unsuccessfully contested the same seat during the recent general polls, and his colleague Irigela Rampulla Reddy were competing with each other to get the party nomination for the bypoll.

This might further hamper the winning chances of the party as one between these two, who will not get the seat, might throw a spanner in the winning prospects of his colleague.

However, the Congress Party's decision to be in the fray in Allagadda byelection as it had done in the case of Nandigama bypoll is giving jitters to the TDP leaders, who are against their party contesting the byelection.

Following this, some of the TDP leaders belonging to Kurnool districts are learnt to have begun holding parleys with local Congress leaders to persuade them to prevail upon their party leadership not to field the party candidate in the bypoll.

Meanwhile, another section of leaders led by the TDP Kurnool district president Somisetty Venkateswarlu are exerting pressure on the TDP leadership to field its candidate in the Allagadda bypoll.

'Congress has decided to be in the fray. Hence, it is meaningless for us to opt out of the race as this might send bad signals to people,' TDP Kurnool district president Somisetty Venkateswarlu told Express.

He further differed with the argument that Allagadda is the bastion of Bhuma family, saying, 'Allagadda is no longer stronghold for Bhuma family. Shobha Nagi Reddy's majority during the general polls drastically came down when compared to her previous victories. If the bypoll is held right now, it would be a definitely winning seat for the TDP.''

According to him, as Shobha Nagi Reddy had died before the elections the issue of leaving the seat to the YSRC on 'humanitarian grounds' does not arise.

'Though the YSRC did not field its candidate during the Nandigama bypoll, saying that as the TDP leader died of heart-attack, it is a known fact that the YSRC had opted out of the race, as it had no hopes of winning the seat,'' Venkateswarlu remarked.