VISAKHAPATNAM: Close aide of minister Gudivada Amarnath and State Gavara Corporation chairman Boddeda Prasad has been appointed as president of the YSRC in Anakapalli district.
Though orders to this effect had reached the party office on Wednesday morning, the announcement had not been made till late at night, fearing that existing Anakapalli president and government whip Karanam Dharmasri could create controversy. At the time, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had also been on a transit halt in Visakhapatnam on the way to Kurupam to release this year’s Amma Vodi funds.
A close follower of Konathala Ramakrishna, Boddeda Prasad had been YSRC president of undivided Visakhapatnam in 2014 and 2015. After Ramakrishna quit YSRC, Prasad joined Telugu Desam and campaigned for Panchakarla Ramesh Babu in the 2019 elections. Ramesh Babu lost to U.V. Ramana Murthy Raju of YSRC.
Following this, Prasad saw no future in TD and joined the YSRC as a close aide of Gudivada Amarnath.
“From then on Prasad became an influential person in Anakapalli. He has recently been accused of grabbing 600 acres of land in Vissannapeta, apart from several other lands in Anakapalli district,” alleged Anakapalli Jana Sena leader Dulam Gopinadh.
Ruling party sources say Prasad’s appointment had even been kept a secret from regional coordinator Y.V. Subba Reddy. Amarnath and others then requested Subba Reddy to ask Karanam Dharmasri to issue a statement in support of Prasad’s appointment as Anakapalli party unit president.
As suggested by the TTD chief, Dharmasri held a press conference at the party office in Anakapalli on Thursday. He went on say that he himself suggested to party high command three months ago that Prasad be appointed as the new president of Anakapalli, as he is already holding the post of government whip.
With the controversial Prasad becoming the Anakapalli party chief, former MLC and senior TD leader Buddha Naga Jagadiswara Rao accused YSRC of institutionalising corruption and land grabbing in Anakapalli by appointing people like Boddeda Prasad.
Party sources say having Prasad as president could further harm YSRC’s already bleak prospects of winning the Payakaraopeta, Anakapalli and Elamanchili seats.
