Visakhapatnam: Opposition alliance partners in Andhra Pradesh are yet to announce their candidates from the assembly constituencies of Visakhapatnam South, Palakonda (ST) in Srikakulam district and Avanigadda in Krishna district.
Yet, Jana Sena Visakhapatnam district president and former MLC Vamsi Krishna Yadav has opened an election office and is intensely campaigning in Vizag South, declaring that the JS high command has confirmed his candidature from the constituency.
However, his rival within JS and GVMC corporator Sadique Mohammed has maintained that Jana Sena has not yet finalised its candidate from Visakhapatnam South. Apart from Sadique, corporators M. Srinivasa Rao and Kandula Nagaraju are also strong contenders for the South constituency from JS party.
However, Srinivasa Rao and Nagaraju have been summoned by party leader Nagababu and asked to withdraw their candidatures in the interests of Jana Sena.
Further, Sadique says, “I have had one to one discussions with party president Pawan Kalyan recently. I explained to him the ground situation in the South constituency. I have provided the party chief reasons why Vamsi Krishna cannot face YSRC candidate Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar.”
The JS ticket aspirant explains that Vamsi had represented YSRC in Visakhapatnam East constituency and lost to Telugu Desam leader Velgapudi Ramakrishna Babu by a huge majority twice in 2009 and 2014 elections. As a result, YSRC did not give Vamsi the ticket in 2019.
Sadique pointed out that Visakhapatnam South mostly comprises minorities, fisher folk and other backward castes. As a national leader of Yadava community, Vamsi could not put up a fight in his home constituency, which comprises mostly Yadavs. How can he fight in a place where his community has no base, Sadique asked.
If nominated, Sadique will be the first candidate from the minorities to be named by Jana Sena.
