Hyderabad, February 09: New boy Chiranjeevi is a key element in the Congress strategy to give Jagan Mohan Reddy a run for his money in the Kadapa Lok Sabha by-election when it is held. Being a Kapu, Chiranjeevi is seen as a device to wean away the crucial vote of the Balijas (as Kapus are known in Rayalaseema) from the influence of Jagan Mohan Reddy in the constituency. There are about 1.5 lakh Balija voters in the constituency. For the ruling party, wresting the pocket borough from the scion of Rajasekhara Reddy would be divine, but even a loss by a small margin would give it something to crow about.
Jagan won the seat in the 2009 election by one lakh votes. Sources say chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has been told that cutting down the margin to the few thousands would be the least that is expected of him. Even a TDP victory as an unforeseen outcome would serve the Congress purpose of showing up the former MP as a paper tiger.
To put the strategy in place, the chief minister is scheduled to visit Kadapa on Feb. 11 for the Rachabanda programme. He is likely to use his visit to energise key functionaries of the party for the battle ahead. For the chief minister, the bypoll will be his first test Apart from the Balijas, Muslims are the other solid vote bank in the district.
Equivalently numerous as Balijas, the Muslim vote is said to reside with Jagan at this juncture. The Congress party government has one Muslim minister from Kadapa, Ahmadulla, but he may not cut much ice with his community.
Apart from Chiranjeevi, the Congress is keen on drafting another Balija, D K Adikeshavulu Naidu, into its Kadapa bypoll strategy. But having been bypassed for an extension of his tenure as chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), Naidu may not willingly exert himself for the Congress cause. He is also not on good terms with Kiran Kumar.
A further complicating factor is the fact that agriculture minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy will feel the onus of carrying the Congress party’s interests in this battle against Jagan, his nephew.
his nephis seeking the byelection ticket for his son-inlaw N Rajasekhara Reddy.
–Agencies