Even as Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan are struggling to finalise the seat sharing for the upcoming elections in Andhra Pradesh, trouble is brewing up not only within the TDP, but also between the TDP and Jana Sena in Vijayawada.
There has been intense war within the TDP for Vijayawada (West) assembly seat, after local MP Kesineni Nani quit the party and defected to the YSR Congress party along with his daughter Kesineni Swetha, who was interested in contesting the seat.
Now that Kesineni is out of race, former MLA Buddha Venkanna has been seriously trying for the party ticket from Vijayawada (West).
On Saturday, he took out a rally in the constituency, to show his strength and bring pressure on Naidu to give him the party ticket.
He warned that he would not tolerate blackmailing by another leader for the party ticket from this constituency. Obviously, he has made the comments, keeping in view the demand for the same seat from another former MLA Jaleel Khan.
Soon after Buddha Venkanna made the comments, Jaleel Khan warned of serious repercussions if he was not given the seat.
“The party workers are very angry and emotional. They want the seat to be given to minorities. I am sure Naidu will do justice to me,” he said.
Ironically, the Jana Sena Party, too, is demanding this seat from the TDP as part of seat sharing talks.
Jana Sena Party in-charge of Vijayawada (West) constituency Pothina Mahesh has been nurturing this constituency for a long time and he is strongly pitching for this seat.
Reacting strongly to the war of words between the two TDP leaders for the seat, Mahesh said some leaders are speaking in the tone that would affect the alliance between the two parties.
“These leaders are raising the issue of caste and religion keeping in view their selfish political motives and blackmailing their party. But people are not innocent and fools,” he said.