Kakinada: The major political parties like Telugu Desam, YSR Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and Jana Sena are not likely to field their candidates in MLC elections for the Graduate Constituency in the Godavari districts this time. Candidates prefer to not contest on the banner of political parties, in order to widen their appeal to all sections.
The sitting MLC K. Ravikiran Varma’s tenure will end by March 29. The Election Commission has already issued a notification and is receiving nominations from contesting candidates from Monday.
Former MLA and also MLC Nallamilli Sesha Reddy said that he was contesting as an independent and therefore anyone could support him in the elections. Mr Seshareddy is an academician and was previously elected as the MLC and also MLA from Anaparthi constituency on a Congress ticket in the 2009 elections.UTF senior leader Illa Venkateswara Rao is also contesting and the UTF, STU and APTF are supporting him.
MLC Ramu Surya Rao said that UTF and other People Organisation candidates had formed the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF).
He said that I.V. Rao who had participated in many agitations for the rights of teachers and other issues was contesting for the MLC Graduate Constituency for Godavari districts and the PDF was working for him.
Another academician T. K. Visweswara Reddy also said that he would contest.
It is learnt that nearly 12 candidates are contesting for MLC elections this time. However, all these candidates are not contesting on political party banners.
But former MLC K.V.V. Satyanarayana Raju (Chaitanya Raju), the father of the present MLC K. Ravikiran Varma, might contest on the TD banner. He was recently appointed as the chairman of the Economically Backward Corporation which was recently established by the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
He said that he would convene a meeting on March 3 to decide whether he or his family members would contest.
However, he added that if the present MLC Varma or his son K. Sasi Varma wanted to contest, they would step in to the fray as independent candidates.
