The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : MLA firm on change of guard

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

MLA firm on change of guard

Staff Reporter

Rival group wants Mastanamma to continue as chairperson

Nadendla Manohar

TENALI: By throwing the gauntlet at his rivals over the change of guard at the municipal council, MLA Nadendla Manohar appeared to have wrested back the initiative from his rival groups.

Accord

The MLA on Friday made it clear that the decision to effect a change of guard as per the agreement rests with the high command and took exception to the reported statements of Gudibanda Venkata Reddy.

The rival camps, significantly, did not react to the statement on Saturday.

As per the agreement reached between the camps headed by MP V. Bala Shourie and MLA, Tadiboyina Mastanamma will head the council as chairperson for the first half of the five-year tenure followed by a candidate favoured by the MLA.

The decision was reached at the PCC office in Hyderabad after differences cropped up between two camps over the selection of Chairperson.

Rival groups

While the MLA claimed that the majority of councillors were with him, the rival groups managed to adjourn the crucial council meet scheduled to elect the chairperson in September 2005.

It was then an agreement was reached to facilitate the election of the chairperson.

With the ascension of D. Srinivas, considered close to the MLA, as the PCC president, local political leaders have asserted that the change of guard is likely to happen. The MLA favoured the candidature of Dommala Vijaya Lakshmi, though he has not revealed his choice till now.

Meanwhile, the other group led by Gudibanda Venkata Reddy and M.P. V. Bala Shourie is working overtime to ensure the continuation of Mastanamma as the Chairperson. Mr. Reddy has gone to the extent of stating that the agreement could not stand since there was a change of guard at the PCC. Interestingly, it was Mr. Venkat Reddy, who took the lead in ensuring that the gentlemen agreement reached between Kanna Laksminarayana and Rayapati Sambasiva Rao in Guntur was adhered to.

The coming days would only reveal whether Tenali would go the Guntur way in effecting a smooth change of guard.

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