TDP replaces 5 AP Assembly candidates; RRR, Bandaru, MS Raju, Giddi Eswari get tickets

Amaravati: With political heat intensified in the state following the filing of the nominations, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has made last-minute adjustments to five Assembly seats it had previously announced for the simultaneous elections in Andhra Pradesh.

As per the changes, Narasapuram MP Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, who joined the TDP after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denied him a ticket, would be contesting as an MLA candidate for the Undi constituency.

Similarly, Giddi Eswari will be contesting from Paderu, Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy from Madugula, MS Raju from Madakasira and Kurugondla Ramakrishna from Venkatagiri.

Last minute changes

TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday handed over B-forms to the MLA and MP candidates contesting in the upcoming elections on May 13. Leaders from various parts of the state visited the party state unit office at Mangalagiri here.

Chandrababu administered an oath to the leaders and advised the candidates to work diligently towards the reconstruction of Andhra Pradesh and also offered guidance on election strategy.

As part of a seat-sharing deal among the NDA partners, TDP has been allocated 144 assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats while BJP will contest from six Lok Sabha and 10 assembly seats, and Janasena will field candidates from two Lok Sabha and 21 assembly seats.

As per sources, the TDP leadership made last-minute changes due to heavy pressure from the prominent leaders. In the Paderu Assembly constituency, the TDP replaced their candidate, K Venkata Ramesh Naidu, with Giddi Eswari, Paderu’s TDP coordinator.

Earlier, after the TDP refused to nominate Eswari, on April 4, she made the decision to run as an independent. In Madugula, Anakapalle district, the TDP also replaced Paila Prasada Rao, an NRI. Naidu replaced him with party veteran and former minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, citing Rao’s ‘lack of motivation and influence’ in the constituency.

In a recent meeting with Naidu, Bandaru voiced his displeasure at not having a nominee during the ‘Praja Galam’ yatra.

In addition, the TDP substituted Anil Kumar for Madakasira (SC) Constituency in Sri Sathya Sai district, after Anil Kumar gave up his seat due to pressure from the faction of former MLC Thippeswamy. MS Raju, the head of the TDP Dalit wing from the Anantapur district, is the new entrant and would contest this seat.

Previously, K Lakshmipriya—daughter of Venkatagiri’s former MLA Kurugondla Ramakrishna—was nominated by the TDP. But in the revised proposal, instead of his daughter, Ramakrishna would be nominated once more by the party. Additionally, the TDP held the B-forms for the Thamballapalle and Denduluru Assembly constituencies.