Tadepalligudem: The Telugu Desam and BJP activists in Tadepalligudem constituency fear that the rebel TD candidate Kottu Satyanarayana could hit the prospects of the official candidate P. Manikyala Rao.
Mr Satyanarayana, a former Congress MLA, entered the fray as an independent after he failed to get a TD ticket. The party had allocated this seat to the BJP as part of its alliance, and the saffron party had fielded senior activist Manikyala Rao.
Interestingly, Mr Kottu Satyanarayana is canvassing with pictures of TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and party founder N. T. Rama Rao to buttress his claim that he is the real TD follower.
Asked about the rebel factor, Mr Manikyala Rao claimed that his winning chances were not dimmed by the rebel.
Describing Mr Kottu Satyanarayana as a pawn in the hands of the YSR Congress, he said it was trying to divide the TD votes, but it would not succeed.
Mr Manikyala Rao cited the victory of the Praja Rajyam in 2009 and said voters in the constituency should vote wisely, and avoid falling into the YSRC trap.
YSRC nominee T.PJ. Satyanarayana alias Thota Gopi, however, refuted the allegations and said there was no need for his party to adopt such cheap tricks to win the elections. The voters have decided to back the YSR Congress, he said.
He alleged that it was common for the TD-BJP to stoop to any level to win the elections. He said that the affection of the people towards Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and the welfare and development schemes announced by Y.S. Jagan Reddy would ensure his victory.
