Kesineni Nani hits out at Varaprasad as Telugu Desam overlooks his efforts

VIJAYAWADA: The selection of candidates for the Vijayawada and Machilipatnam Lok Sabha constituencies has turned controversial for the TD and the YSRC respectively.

According to sources, Kesineni Nani, TD in-charge for the Vijayawada LS seat, has been denied a ticket and instead offered the Vijayawada East or Penamaluru Assembly seat. The party is likely to allot the Vijayawada LS ticket to industrialist Potluri Varaprasad on the recommendation of actor Pawan Kalyan and top BJP leaders, including the CM of a neighbouring state.

Mr Nani was confident of getting the ticket as he had reportedly spent Rs 10 crore on party activities, much of it during TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s walkathon in the district.

Referring to Mr Varaprasad as an international smuggler, Mr Nani said, “The Interpol is also trying to arrest him.” He asked Pawan Kalyan not to encourage people who were involved in cases.

Should Mr Nani accept his party’s decision and contest from the Assembly segment, the question will be how to manage those who want to contest from Vijayawada East and Penamaluru.

Meanwhile, the YSRC is facing a similar problem in Machilipatnam. Machilipatnam sitting MLA Perni Venkatramaiah announced that he was unwilling to contest and has sent letters to this effect. His move is significant as he had opposed former minister K. Parthasarathi’s entry into the YSRC, that was encouraged by former Gudiwada legislator Kodali Nani.

Mr Venkatramaiah had promoted former MP Badiga Ramakrishna. The former MP had proposed to bear Mr Venkatramaiah’s election expenditure but the YSRC leadership rejected this, and and only accepted Mr Kodali Nani’s proposal, upsetting Mr Venkatramaiah. Mr Parthasarathi has been trying to mollify him.