Nellore: TD and YSRC activists are clueless about candidates selected for the Ongole parliament seat as both the party leaders have been maintaining a strange silence on the subject.
Though MLC Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy denied speculations about migrating to YSRC to contest for Ongole Lok Sabha, rumours fail to die down because YSRC is yet to declare the candidature of sitting member Y. V. Subba Reddy.
Incidentally, Mr Subba Reddy himself announced that he was going to be the candidate for Ongole LS taking serious view of reports over Magunta replacing him. Reminding all that he quit his MP post for Special Category Status, he also pointed out the efforts he had made to develop Prakasam district in association with the leaders and cadres in every assembly segment.
In case of Mr Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Mr Naidu has been prevailing upon him to contest for LS because of his popularity in Prakasam and his close contact with people irrespective of political affiliations.
However Magunta is taking his time to reach a decision allegedly bec-ause of doubts about the winning chances of no-minees in some assembly segments since that would determine his own victory. In this backdrop, the name of MLC Karanam Balaram is also doing the rounds for the Ongole seat.
Leaders of both the parties maintained that clarity over candidates for Assembly segments will emerge only after deciding candidates for LS as the contestants will look for winning horses. Meanwhile Congress leader and former Kanigiri legislator Ugra Narasimha Reddy is likely to join the TD in a couple of days. TD believes that his entry would strengthen the party in Kanigiri as well as the neighbouring segments.
However the party move to admit him into the party has been causing jitters to the followers of the sitting legislator Mr Kadiri Babu Rao because Mr Narasimha Reddy's entry could mean his entering the fray in the ensuing elections.
