Clash of Titan's set for Vijayawada MP seat

Vijayawada: Political atmosphere is hotting up in Vijayawada as political arties are busy preparing lists of robable candidates for the 2014 elections.

Ticket hopefuls among the leaders are jittery with new names cropping up. Surprisingly, this time, names of a few leading business houses are also doing the rounds.

The elections are set to be, in all probability, among the leading busiess people, who are expected to splurge on campaign and raise the bar for the rivals.

The voters of Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency have already seen candidates from leading business and industrialist houses.

The entry of Dasari Jairamesh in 1998 elections on Telugu Desam against P Upendra saw the advent of influence of money in the elections.

The trend followed for the three consecutive elections, with money power emerging a dominant factor. Telugu Desam had roped in big moneyed people like film producer Chalasani Aswani Dutt to face Upendra's son-in-law and LANCO group chief Lagadapati Rajagopal in 2004. In 2009 elections, it tried its luck again by fielding a young realtor-turned film producer, Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan. It failed, though.

Having seen easy flow of money during the campaigning, voters and cadre alike expect bigger money play this time, especially by new entrants from the business segment.

Adding to the enthusiasm of the business leaders is unlikelihood of the sitting MP Lagadapati Rajagopal contesting on the Congress ticket. Telugu Desam and YSR Congress are vying with each other to field business magnets, raising the hopes of cadres to cash in on the situation.

The name of leading film producer and business tycoon, Potluri Vara Prasad, tops the list of probable candidates for the YSR Congress for the Lok Sabha seat. While it is said that his candidature is almost finalised, rumors are afloat that he has set some terms before party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

Sources close to him said that he had asked Jagan to leave at least one out of the seven l Assembly segments that form part of the Lok Sabha constituency for a Kamma candidate.

He had even reportedly recommended the candidatures of former legislator Jyesta Ramesh Babu and former Gollapudi panchayat president Bommasani Subba Rao for Mylavaram seat, and former legislator Adusumilli Jayaprakash for Vijayawada East constituency.

It is said that he had also suggested shifting Samineni Udaya Bhanu to Mylavaram and fielding a strong Kamma candidate from Jaggaiahpet, if the party cannot accommodate any of the three candidates recommended by him.

However, it is said that the party president did not respond favourably to his suggestions, following which Potluri walked out of the race.

On the Telugu Desam side, a couple of names of leading businessmen are doing the rounds. One of them is the owner of a star hotel in the city, who is also said to be interested in making his political debut.

Though the party had initially cleared the candidature of travel tycoon Kesineni Srinivas, it is reportedly contemplating on fielding the hotelier and shifting Kesineni either to Vijayawada East or Penamaluru.

The name of film star Nandamuri Balakrishna is also cropping up in the TD corridors for the Lok Sabha seat. The leaders of the party are actively considering both the names for the 2014 elections.

The Congress, too, has shortlisted a couple of names to choose from in case Lagadapati pulls himself out of the race, following his vow to quit politics if the State is divided.

Some leaders here also doubt if the party will nominate him this time as he is one of the six rebel MPs who have tabled a no-confidence motion against the government, and thus caused enough trouble to the party.

The party is also said to be actively considering the candidature of Union Minister Purandeswari. The new entrant to vie for the ticket is Devineni Avinash, Samaikyandhra Student leader and son of former minister Devineni Rajasekhar Nehru.

A fresh post graduate, he has earned a name for himself during the Samaikyandhra movement. However, leaders aver he is too young to face so big a battle as general elections.