Hyderabad: After coming to the conclusion that Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy would not float a political outfit, several Congress stalwarts from Seemandhra are to join the Telugu Desam and the YSR Congress very soon.
Ministers Erasu Pratap Reddy and T.G. Venkatesh from Kurnool district and former minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy and his brother J.C. Prabhakar Reddy from Anantapur district have decided to leave the party.
While the Kurnool duo will join the TD, the JC brothers will join in YSRC. Their entries have been almost cleared.
In the coastal region, ministers Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Tota Narasimham and at least 10 legislators will join the TD. It is likely that the migrations will begin from January 23.
TD, YSRC lure dissident MLAs
In the Rayalaseema region, Kurnool MLAs L. Venkataswamy (Nandikotkur), K. Rambhoopal Reddy (Panyam) and Shilpa Mohan Reddy (Nandyal) are expected to join the Telugu Desam.
Mohan Reddy had earlier planned to join the YSRC and had even met party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. But the YSRC did not agree to give him his choice of seat. Former Nandyal MP Gangula Pratap Reddy has also queued up.
There is a knotty situation with regard to Pratap Reddy. The TD has offered the law minister, who represents Srisailam, the Panyam seat which is his stronghold. However, Panyam MLA Katasani Rambhoopal Reddy is also toying with the idea of joining the TD; his followers are telling him that he will lose his deposit if he contests on a Congress ticket.
Rambhoopal Reddy is now in two minds. If he joins the TD, he will have to look for an alternative constituency other than Panyam. Otherwise he will have to contest as an independent. Sources said Kurnool Congress leaders are preparing to conduct public meeting with one lakh people after January 23 and join the TD.
In Anantapur, sources said, the YSRC has offered the JC brothers a Lok Sabha and an Assembly seat. Diwakar Reddy is likely to contest from his own Tadipatri segment, while his brother Prabhakar Reddy will contest from the Anantapur Lok Sabha constituency.
Clearing the way for the JC brothers’ entry into the YSRC, Ananta Venkataram Reddy, the sitting Congress MP from Anantapur, has dropped his plans of joining the YSRC. He had met Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy to this end two months ago, but dropped out.
Giving indications of the impending move, Diwakar Reddy said that he has no objections to working with Jagan. He said he was ready to work with any political party which fights for Samaikyandhra.
In Kurnool, the TD will field its legislator K.E. Krishnamurthy for the Lok Sabha seat, and his brother K.E. Pratap from the Pattikonda Assembly constituency. The TD has already decided to shift K.E. Prabhakar from Pattikonda. In Chittoor, minister Galla Aruna’s son Jay Galla is ready to join the TD and he will contest from the Guntur Lok Sabha constituency.
In the costal region, the legislators who joined the Congress from the PR during the merger will shift to the TD. Some Congress MLAs like former minister Dharmana and four MLAs will join the YSRC.
Prasada Rao has already given indications in the recent past that he will go with the YSRC.
