Vijayawada: Launching Mission 150+, TD supremo and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday night released the party’s first list of candidates for 126 of the 175 Assembly segments. Mr Naidu will contest from his fortress of Kuppam and his son and IT minister Nara Lokesh will fight his first election from Mangalagiri in Guntur district.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Naidu said that the list had been prepared after weighing various options based on the qualitative data and IVRS survey conducted among party workers. The Lok Sabha candidates would be announced on Friday.
Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao has been fielded again from Sattenapalli. Earlier, there were reports that Mr Naidu was contemplating on fielding him from the Narasaraopeta Lok Sabha seat though he was not interested. Mr Naidu ignored the objections of some party workers to field mr Rao again from Sattenapalli.
Mr Ganta Srinivasa Rao will be contesting from Vizag North; there was speculation that he would be fielded from the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat. Mr Naidu has not announced any candidate for Bheemili segment in Vizag district, from where there were reports earlier that CBI former joint director V.V. Lakshminarayana could contest on a TD ticket.
The suspense over the Darsi constituency in Prakasam district continues as the candidate was not named. Minister Sidda Raghav Rao who represents Darsi is being persuaded by Mr Naidu to contest for the Ongole Lok Sabha seat. The minister is insisting on Darsi.
Two ministers — Mr K.E. Krishna Murthy and Ms Paritala Sunitha — made way for their kin. Both of them will not contest.
Mr Murthy’s son K.E. Shyam Babu will be contesting from Pathikonda in Kurnool. His brother K.E. Pratap has been nominated from Dhone. Ms Sunitha’s son Paritala Sri Ram will contest from Raptadu.
Actor and Naidu’s brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna will contest from Hindupur in Anantapur district.
