Now that he has announced the complete list of candidates for all the assembly and Lok Sabha seats, YSR Congress party president and Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is focussing on pacifying leaders, who have either been dropped or denied tickets and have the potential to damage the party prospects.
While many of these disappointed leaders have joined the Telugu Desam Paty or Jana Sena Party or even the Congress, the YSRCP chief is trying to prevent further exodus of leaders into other parties to ensure that the party doesn’t get damaged.
Now that there is plenty of time for the election process to begin and polling to be held, Jagan is calling one disgruntled leader after the other to the camp office and assuring them to take care of their political interests.
Some of them are said to be compensated monetarily, others are being assured of some good posts and positions, if they cooperate with the selected candidates and bring the party to power again.
For example, Jagan called sitting YSRCP MLA from Pithapuram Pendem Dorababu to the camp office and held discussions with him. Dorababu, who was denied the party ticket this time and replaced by Vanga Geetha, was planning to join the Jana Sena Party.
There were reports that he had even met Pawan Kalyan a couple of months ago, when Geetha’s name was announced. But there was uncertainty over Pithapuram seat due to strong lobbying by TDP candidate S V V N Varma and hence, he could not take any decision.
Finally, when Pawan Kalyan announced that he would be contesting from Pithapuram, Dorababu was caught in dilemma. At this stage, he got a call from Jagan and he came down to the Tadepalli office to meet the chief minister.
One doesn’t know what assurance Dorababu got from Jagan, but he told reporters after coming out of the camp office that he would extend support to Vanga Geetha and see that Pawan Kalyan is defeated.
Similarly, Jagan also called sitting party MP from Amalapuram Chinta Anuradha to the camp office, amidst reports that she might shift loyalties to the BJP, as she was denied the party ticket this time.
After meeting, Anuradha said there was no truth in the reports that she was defecting to other parties.
“I shall work for the YSRCP and remain loyal to Jagan, who helped me a lot when I was elected to Lok Sabha for the first time,” she clarified.