Nani's exit serves a blow to TDP
The exit of the two-time legislator, Kodali Srivenkateswara Rao alias Nani, from Gudivada, is a major setback to the Opposition Telugu Desam in Krishna district.
As Nani belongs to the strong Kamma community, representing the home constituency of the party's founder, late N T Rama Rao, his exit would have an impact on the party's prospects in the district, particularly in Gudivada, Kaikaluru, Pamarru, Pedana, Penamaluru, Gannavaram, Nandigama and Mylavaram Assembly segments where the community holds the key.
Nani, during his decade-long political career, had become an icon for Kamma youth in the district and was more popular among young fans of Nandamuri heroes.
His exit from the party and entry into the YSR Congress is likely to create a split among the strong fan base of the youth from the community.
Besides, Nani is also likely to get a greater importance in the YSR Congress in Krishna district politics, which the YSR Congress believes would help in fetching votes.
The TD had lost so many leaders in the last two decades in Krishna district. The exit of the strong leader, Devineni Rajasekhar aka Nehru after the Viceroy coup in August 1995, had caused severe damage to the party in the district, as he was the party district secretary building the cadre base till then.
Though his cousin Devineni Venkata Ramana took the mantle in the district, his untimely death caused a great loss to the party.
Then it was the turn of former legislator Adusumilli Jayaprakash, also from Kamma community, who enjoyed mass base in the city in 1980s and till middle of 1990s.
When he was removed as the party urban unit president and the party nominated conveners for the constituency-level committees scrapping the urban unit, it was felt that the party would never be able to get back to its strength. Even today, the party could not get back its lost ground in the city.
The party suffered heavily when it lost former Telugu Yuvata district chief and MLA from Mylavaram, Jyesta Ramesh Babu in 1999 elections.
As youth leader during NTR's time, Ramesh Babu enjoyed a strong youth base and his exit was not felt as a loss as the party was in power then.
The party dropped him to accommodate its senior leader Vadde,Sobhanadreeswara Rao, who won the seat and served as Minister in the Cabinet from 1999 to 2004.
Today, he too became inactive leaving only the party district unit chief Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, to represent the community in the party.
The Jaggaiahpeta's strongman and former minister, Nettem Raghuram, too is silent in the western Krishna, while the Raavi family at Gudivada was snubbed by the party for Kodali Nani in 2004 elections.
The party is now at the mercy of the Raavi family with the exit of Nani in the home town of late NTR.
The Yerneni family too had deserted the TD from the Gudivada-Mudinepalli-Kaikaluru region of the district, which is partly covered by rice-rich delta and pisciculture in Kolleru.
While Yerneni Nagendranath is active on farmers' issues, his brother Yerneni Rajaramachadar is with the Congress.
The former minister and Nagendranath's wife, Yerneni Sitadevi, is not so active with the TD for various reasons. Thus the strong Yerneni family from the community has deserted the party.
Though there is another legislator to represent the community ' Dasari Venkata Balavardhana Rao at Gannavaram ' he is not a crowd puller and is not widely accepted outside his town.
The party's urban president, Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan, who enjoys the youth support from the Kamma community, too is on the way out, while former MP Gadde Ramamohan is silenced by the party itself, keeping him out of the party post.
The party district chief, Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, who represents the strong Kamma community in the TD politics, suffered a major setback when his own brother, Chandrasekhar, defected to the YSR Congress in May this year.
It is to be seen how the party would win back the community and withstand the onslaught of the YSR Congress in the district politics.
News Posted: 11 July, 2012
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