Vishakapatnam, April 11: With the state Congress leadership busy in firefighting measures to solve the problems and issues cropping up at alarming regularity, its dissidents are making a silent switch-over through back door to YSR Congress of former Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy in north coastal region.
As the cadre base of Congress is getting eroded, the YSR Congress is benefiting from it. At a time, when the Congress has mobilised all its resources for Kadapa by-elections where Jagan and his mother YS Vijayalakshmi are contesting for Lok Sabha and Assembly seats respectively, the YSR Congress has shifted its focus to the north coastal region.
Instead of going for big kill of Congress MLAs and MPs, the YSR Congress is seeking support from sarpanches, MPTCs, ZPTCs, municipal corporators and ward members.
The YSR Congress leaders are moving at village and mandal levels to enrol cadres and supporters.
The party leadership has drawn up an action plan for the local leaders on how to create a base at grassroot level and is monitoring their activities from time to time.
As per the plan drafted on the basis of each Assembly segment, the leaders are organising a series of programmes like installing YSR statues, unveiling party flag and taking out padyatras.
As the Congress is bogged down by infighting of its leaders and various scams alleged against the ministers and MLAs, it has totally ignored lower-level leaders and party workers among whom the dissidence is growing by each day. Taking advantage of it, the YSR Congress leaders are inching towards them by promising them bright future in their party.
In Srikakulam district, Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, who virtually runs a one-man show of the party, is facing threat from his own brother and Narasannapeta MLA Dharmana Krishna Das who has announced his support to YSR Congress.
Krishna Das is supported by Tekkali MLA K Bharathi. Besides, due to several allegations against the minister, the party leaders are deserting him and flocking to YSR Congress which has taken up the causes of the farmers, students, women and the locals.
Similarly in Vizianagaram, where minister Botsa Satyanarayan rules the roost, there is a growing dissidence among the Congress leaders and activists as Botsa has kept all the important political positions among his family members.
Under the circumstances, the YSR Congress is offering disgruntled Congress activists a platform to express their feelings.
The party’s position has further strengthened with senior Congress leader P Sambasiva Raju extending his support to it.
In Visakhapatnam, with Union minister of Congress D Purandeswari and senior leader T Subbarami Reddy not taking care of the party affairs, other leaders like Konathala Ramakrishna and Sabbam Hari are mobilising cadres to get into YSR Congress.
With no support from party leadership, Minister P Balaraju has been unable to keep the flock together in spite of his best efforts.
–Agencies