Visakhapatnam: While the two proverbial cats fight, the monkey comes and takes the cake away. The pre-poll ticket-distribution scenario in the Telugu Desam resembles such a scene.
Two top TD leaders — former minister Kala Venkata Rao and Kalisetti Appala Naidu — fought hard for three years to get the party’s nomination for Etcherla constituency, but the alliance partners surprised the two by allotting the ticket to BJP’s N Eswara Rao. Rao belongs to the forward caste.
The constituency has over 95 per cent BCs. Some 80 per cent are Toorpu Kapus, to which Kala Venkata Rao and Appala Naidu belong to. Eswara Rao belonged to the Kamma social group. He migrated to Srikakulam in the 1970s and acquired huge tracts of agricultural lands.
“Why should they give ticket to a leader belonging to Chandrababu Naidu’s community when the constituency has a string of local BCs leaders? The BJP votes will not cross double digit,’’ argues staunch followers of Kala Venkata Rao.
Another leader said Etcherla was in the winning list and the alliance partners foolishly added it to the losing list.
Meanwhile, the TD leadership was suggesting Kala Venkata Rao to contest from Cheepurupalli against the education minister and stalwart Botsa Satyanarayana. Venkata Rao expressed his reluctance to contest from Cheepurupalli and conveyed the same to party president Chandrababu Naidu.
Venkata Rao was MLA in 1985, 1989, 2004 and 2014 and minister in the cabinets of NT Rama Rao and Chandrababu Naidu. He was also chairman of TTD and president of TD for some time.
However, no assurance was given to Kalisetti Appala Naidu, who also launched his campaign in the constituency soon after the elections dates were announced.
“TD was sure to win Etcherla as an anti-incumbency wave was building against the sitting MLA Gorla Kiran Kumar. The alliance partners gave away the seat to the ruling party on a platter,’’ Appala Naidu told the media.
Political observers claims that Kala Venakta Rao has no say in the constituency and Appala Naidu is not efficient. The choice automatically fell on Eswara Rao, they note.
“Eswara Rao has done a lot of work in the constituency for which he will get support from the local leaders and party workers of both the BJP and TD,’’ said Visakhapatnam district president of BJP, M Rabindra Reddy.
