Kadapa, February 14: The Congress is yet to finalise candidates for the Rayalaseema West Graduates and Teachers constituencies, although other parties had named their candidates much before the Election Commission had announced the election schedule.
Notification awaited
Minister for Agriculture Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy’s term as MLC in the local bodies quota will end on March 29 and a notification for the election is awaited.
The Congress is on the look out for a candidate, as Mr. Vivekananda Reddy is the probable candidate for the byelection to Pulivendula Assembly constituency to contest against YSR’s wife Y.S. Vijaylakshmi.
Former District Congress Committee (DCC) president K. Suresh Babu was projected as the probable Congress MLC candidate for the Rayalaseema West Graduates constituency, but he had quit the party after former Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother and Pulivendula MLA Y.S. Vijaylakshmi resigned from the Congress.
And the former DCC presidents is presently sailing with Jagan.
Meanwhile, two aspirants including Kadapa DCC official spokesman Rajiv Basha of Porumamilla, a retired physical education teacher A. Subbarayudu had applied for the Congress ticket to the MLC Graduates constituency from Kadapa district.
No aspirant
No prominent political leader or former MLAs had so far sought the Congress ticket for Rayalaseema West Graduates and Teachers constituencies, Kadapa DCC president M.Ashok Kumar told The Hindu.
Besides the two applicants from Kadapa district, other aspirants from Anantapur and Kurnool districts, which fall under the MLC constituency could be considered by A.P. Congress Committee president D. Srinivas before finalising the party candidate, he added.
Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu had announced the party’s Kadapa district vice-president Machireddy Venkataswamy Reddy as MLC candidate from Rayalaseema West Graduates constituency in place of outgoing MLC Mundlapalle Venkatasiva Reddy who is not contesting this time.
The TDP is yet to take a decision on the Teachers constituency. Praja Rajyam had announced the DSC movement leader S. Moulana as its candidate for the Graduates constituency, but the party’s merger with Congress left the candidate in disarray.
Other candidates
The Communist Party of India had sponsored All India Youth Federation State general secretary G. Easwaraiah as its candidate for the Graduates constituency and renominated sitting MLC Pochamreddy Subba Reddy from the Teachers constituency.
The CPI (M)-backed Progressive Democratic Front is fielding a medical practitioner Geyanand as candidate for the Graduates constituency and a teachers’ union leader Beeram Subba Reddy for the Teachers’ constituency.
S. Sreedhar Reddy of Nandyal, the son-in-law of industrialist S.P.Y. Reddy, an advocate Veena Ajay Kumar, BC Mahassabha candidate Avvaru Mallikarjuna and some others are in fray.
Lags behind
The Congress is lagging behind in canvassing due to the uncertainty of who would be its candidates, but those of all other parties have started election campaign in Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur districts. They put up hoardings and banners and are going round meeting the targeted groups of voters.
-Agencies