Who is the prospective Congress nominee to stand against former MP and Kadapa leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy is the question uppermost in the minds of the people ever since the by-elections to the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and Pulivendula Assembly Constituency was announced by the Election Commission of India on Wednesday.
Going by the current standards and introspection going in the Congress party, the former MP, despite all odds, seems to have emerged as the unquestioned leader in the Kadapa district which had been at the centre stage of national politics.
Three state ministers accompanied by a Central Minister Sai Pratap, who was also a YSR lieutenant, could not alter the blueprint in the recent MLC elections.
Mr Jaganmohan Reddy was found calling the shots at will. An independent sponsored by him in Kadapa in the recent MLC elections trounced Congress candidate in the district. Of course, the infighting between Congress MLA and former minister JC Diwakar Reddy and Revenue Minister N Raguveera Reddy was an additional contribution to the defeat of the Congress contestant.
Apart from Sabbam Hari, Congress MP from Visakhapatnam a known Jagan loyalist, challenging today that his leader can’t be defeated in the by-elections, it was also clear that the defiant leader had ‘pocketed’ the entire Kadapa district wooing the grassroots level leaders – MPTS and ZPTS chairmen and others.
Apart from APCC, the Congress High Command also seems to be giving an extra thought about the growing popularity of the Kadapa leader who sources said would repeat the MLC type victory in the coming by-elections.
Agriculture Minister YS Vivekananda Reddy's son-in-law Narreddy Rajasekhara Reddy’s name made the rounds for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat but it met stiff opposition within the Congress circles as YSV’s son-in-law would be no match for Mr Jaganmohan Reddy.
Thus the Congress party has been desperately looking for a suitable nominee to take on Mr Jaganmohan Reddy.
It is not yet clear whether YSV would be opposing his brother’s son as the minister has six months to get elected to retain his Ministry, but indications are that his candidature cannot be ruled out.
According to sources, the Congress has been hard put to name a person who could counter the unfavourable winds in the district as this is a prestige issue for the ruling party and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who was summoned by the High Command soon after the announcement of the MLC election results.
As of the moment, it is too early to arrive at a definite conclusion, but Mr Vivekananda Reddy seems to be the Congress safest bet, considering the circumstances.
The Congress will most likely opt for the Agriculture Minister for the simple fact that even if he were to lose the by-polls, the aftermath of the contest would ensure that YSV would not join hands with Mr Jaganmohan Reddy.