ANANTAPUR: Irrespective of some voices of dissent against the candidature of N. Varalaxmi, wife of former Minister N. Kistappa, for the Zilla Parishad chairpersonship, which was announced during the run-up to the local bodies' elections itself, it is a settled issue as for as key leaders of the TDP in the district are concerned.

However, the issue of vice-chairperson's post appears to be stoking groupism in the party which appeared united during the polls. The unity was reflected in the results which have ensured the party ZP chairpersonship with 33 ZPTC seats. The party has also won majority MPTC seats in an equal number of mandals to get the mandal parishad president posts.

A key leader of the party stated that Ms. Varalaxmi's name for the chairperson's post was decided by the party president during the selection of her candidature for Chilamattur ZPTC itself.

But two legislators, three former MPs and MLAs and a couple of district functionaries of the party expressed lack of interest in the post stating that they had no finances required.

The real reason, however, was their lack of confidence that the party would win a majority of the seats, he said.

The opportunity, which has turned golden after the election results, was, in fact, thrust upon Mr. Kistappa by the party leadership. "I was told by the leadership on the last day of filing nominations to field my wife for a ZPTC seat," Mr. Kistappa himself admitted during the canvassing.

Now that the party has secured majority ZPTCs a few of the leaders who had refused to field their women in the fray are now repenting by raising voice against Ms. Varalaxmi's candidature with a feeling that they have "missed a golden chance of lifetime".

Key aspirants

Telugu Desam ZPTC winners from Singanamala, Kambadur, Bukkaraya Samudram and Ramagiri, T. Sharathchandra Reddy, Rammohan, G. Srikanth Reddy and K. Ramamurthy respectively are learnt to be aspiring for the vice-chairperson's post. While the first and third candidates belong to one key community, second and fourth aspirants hail from another key community.

The first three aspirants have a reasoning that they stand a chance as they are from Anantapur Lok Sabha constituency, as Ms. Varalaxmi is from Hindupur LS constituency. The fourth aspirant has his hopes all banked on Penukonda legislator Paritala Sunita's support as he is her relative.

In spite of having a clear majority in the ZP with 63 seats, the TDP has moved all its ZPTC members to `safe places,' unwilling to take the risk of attempts to `hijack' its majority by the Congress as the latter had done in 2005 to wrest the ZP chief's post from the TDP after J. Suryanarayana had quit the post after his suspension from the party.

They would be brought her back in time for ZP chief' election slated for July 10.

The party is also safeguarding its MPTC members in different places till the election of MPPs scheduled on July 11.

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