The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TDP moves to consolidate Kamma vote?

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Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TDP moves to consolidate Kamma vote?

By A. Saye Sekhar

VIJAYAWADA, APRIL 6. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has apparently commenced its exercise to hammer out the differences and ensure "perfect unity'' among its leaders, particularly those belonging to the dominant Kamma community in the south coastal Andhra districts, with a view to "neutralising'' the effect of the entry of Daggubati Purandareswari, daughter of late N.T. Rama Rao, into the electoral fray on behalf of the Congress from the Bapatla Lok Sabha constituency.

As the first step, the TDP president and Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, has sent the party's nominee from the Gurazala Assembly constituency, Yarapatineni Srinivasa Rao, who has been at loggerheads with the Minister for Medical and Health and party's strongman in Guntur district, Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, to meet the latter.

Accordingly, Mr. Srinivasa Rao called on the Minister late on Monday evening and invited him to campaign in his constituency. Mr. Srinivasa Rao's meeting, to a large measure, is being dubbed an effort to "satisfy the ego'' of Dr. Sivaprasada Rao. The meeting of Mr. Srinivasa Rao with Dr. Sivaprasada Rao is also expected to "bridge the gap'' between the Minister and the party's contestant from the Vemur Assembly constituency, Alapati Rajendra Prasad. Dr. Rao is the political mentor of Mr. Prasad and Mr. Srinivasa Rao.

The reunion of the troika, the TDP sources say, will make the trio a rallying point for all Kamma leaders in the district, including several party contestants. Mr. Srinivasa Rao, who was closeted for a couple of hours with the Minister at Dondapadu village in the Narasaraopet Assembly constituency, reportedly discussed the ways and means to close the ranks with Mr. Rajendra Prasad keeping in view the party's strategy on how to retain the Kamma opinion-makers with the TDP. The TDP leadership is said to be expecting that Guntur district would become the seed crystal to bring Kamma voters together even in neighbouring districts, they say. For, the TDP and the Congress have fielded Kamma candidates for Eluru (Bolla Bulliramaiah vs Kavuri Sambasiva Rao), Vijayawada (Chalasani Aswani Dutt vs Lagadapati Rajagopal), Guntur (Y.V. Rao vs Rayapati Sambasiva Rao) and Bapatla (Daggubati Rama Naidu vs Daggubati Purandareswari) Lok Sabha constituencies. The TDP's candidate from Ongole, Vijaya Bharathi, is also a Kamma.

As far as Assembly seats are concerned, the district-wise number of Kamma candidates fielded by the TDP and the Congress in that order is: West Godavari - four and three, Krishna - eight and seven, Guntur - eight and five and Prakasam - five each. Dr. Rao, who earlier told the Chief Minister that Mr. Srinivasa Rao's winning chances were "very bleak,'' had to grudgingly accept his candidature what with the pressure mounted by Mr. Naidu. However, to placate Dr. Rao, who is considered to be "very powerful'' among Kammas, the Chief Minister told him that he would send Mr. Srinivasa Rao to the Minister to sort out the differences.

Talking to The Hindu on Tuesday, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that the differences that existed between him and the Minister were "created by some vested interests.'' He went on to add: "We have always considered Dr. Sivaprasada Rao as our leader. After all, he is one leader who has been continuing his winning streak for the last 22 years and I am confident that we will all win once again. And, none in the district is a competition to Dr. Rao." The fall-out of the differences between the duo is now history.

Naidu on the move

Exercise to neutralise the

entry of Daggubati Purandareswari.

Guntur district to take the

lead in bringing round Kamma voters.

Reunion of Kodela, Alapati

and Yarapatineni troika a rallying point for party contestants.

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