The Hindu : Nerella, Yusuf Ali's nomination kept in abeyance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 22, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Nerella, Yusuf Ali's nomination kept in abeyance

By Our Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD, MARCH 21. The Minister for School Education, Mandava Venkateswara Rao (Dichpalli) and the former Minister, Parige Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), have been re-nominated in the first list of the TDP announced by the Telugu Desam Party president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, today.

Surprisingly, the three-time MLA and present Technical Education Minister, Nerella Anjaneyulu, representing the Yellareddy Assembly constituency, and the former Government Whip, Syed Yusuf Ali from Kamareddy, and the former Jukkal MLA, Aruna Tara, do not to figure in the first list.

The TDP won five seats in the 1999 elections while the Congress triumphed in four segments. The general feeling among TDP cadres was that Mr. Venkateswara Rao, Mr. Anjaneyulu and Mr. Srinvias Reddy, would be re-nominated by the party high command in the first go itself. However, by keeping in abeyance the candidature of Mr. Anjaneyulu, the party has given scope for doubt.

It may be mentioned here that the Technical Education Minister, the former Government Whip and the former Jukkal MLA, have been facing tough time in their respective constituencies after the one-time followers raised a banner of revolt. The Technical Education Minister is facing tough time from his close follower, Gopi Goud, while Mr. Syed Yusuf Ali, is grappling with the growing influence of the former MLA, Gampa Goverdhan.

The former MLA has launched a campaign to unseat the former Government Whip and ensure ticket for himself. In case of Ms. Aruna Tara, all TDP leaders of Jukkal segment have revolted against her and made it clear they will not work for the party if she is re-nominated. Even the booth committee meetings held yesterday ended in a fiasco as party observers failed to turn up and a section of the cadres launched a tirade against the former MLA.

Non-inclusion of Mr. Anjaneyulu in the first list came as a surprise to party cadres. The TDP chief is understood to have cleared the names of the candidates who are non-controversial. Mr. Venkateswara Rao is given the ticket for the fifth successive time while Mr. Srinivas Reddy will be facing his third election for the Assembly seat.

The defection of the former Nizamabad MP, Gaddam Ganga Reddy, into the Telangana Rastra Samiti made the task of the TDP easy. Mr. Ganga Reddy had demanded that the Dichpalli seat be allotted to him. He opposed the candidature of Mr. Venkateswara Rao accusing him of not taking up any developmental work during the last two decades. The TDP is yet to decide as to which seat it will allot to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP has demanded Nizamabad, Armoor and Kamareddy seats. Last time, it was allotted the Nizamabad seat which was won by the present Pradesh Congress Committee chief, D. Srinivas.

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Andhra Pradesh