After undergoing several pulls and pressures and assessing all permutations and combinations, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is understood to have decided to field his son Nara Lokesh from Mangalagiri assembly constituency in Guntur district.
According to party sources, Naidu, who has been desperately looking for a safer seat for his son to win the direct elections, has finally zeroed in on Mangalagiri.
Lokesh’s name will be among the candidates to figure in the first list of candidates to be released by Naidu on Thursday.
There are more than one reason for Naidu choosing Mangalagiri for Lokesh. It is now part of Naidu’s dream capital Amaravati, where Naidu has earned a lot of goodwill over the last four years.
Secondly, it is a Kamma-dominated constituency and therefore, relatively easier for Lokesh.
Thirdly, sitting YSRC MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy is said to be a weak candidate and YSRC is looking for an alternative candidate to retain the seat. So, Lokesh might not have a tough competition.
And finally, since it closer to the power centre, managing money distribution during the elections will be easier task for Lokesh!
Apparently, Naidu realised that fielding Lokesh fom Bhimili or Visakhapatnam (North) assembly seat is a risky proposition, as the urban voters are highly unpredictable.
Secondly, Naidu is also under pressure from his brother-in—law Nandamuri Balakrishna for giving a party ticket to his second son-in-law Bharat from Visakhapatnam.
Since Naidu cannot accommodate two younsters – Lokesh and Bharat in the same district, he shifted Lokesh to Mangalagiri.
The official reason being cited by the party circles is that Lokesh has a vote in Vundavalli, which part of Mangalagiri constituency. Hence, he has chosen this.