Tirupati: Telugu Desam (TD) has reportedly offered Challa Ramachandra Reddy, popularly known as Challa Babu, a Cabinet berth or the chairman post of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams trust board, if he manages to wrest the Punganur seat from minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy in the upcoming Assembly elections.
This tactic is said to have been announced by TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu as a retaliatory measure, after the ruling YSR Congress (YSRC) pledged to make Legislative Council member K.R.J. Bharath a Cabinet minister if he defeats Naidu in the latter’s long-held bastion, Kuppam.
As part of its high-decibel “Why Not Kuppam” campaign, the YSRC is attempting to break Naidu’s seven-term winning streak.
Peddireddy is seen as the main figure behind the “Why Not Kuppam” campaign.
“The TD is willing to suitably reward Challa Babu, with a Cabinet post or the TTD chairman position, if he wins the Punganur seat. He is aggressively campaigning in the segment and will breach the fortress walls of Peddireddy in Punganur,” said a senior TD leader.
Political observers point to Challa Babu's recent month-long ‘controversial’ arrest as having drawn public sympathy and in the resurgence of TD's electoral prospects at Punganur.
Analysts closely tracking developments suggest Challa Babu’s popularity is on the rise in the constituency, unsettling Peddireddy's camp.
