Tension gripped several MLAs of YSR Congress party on Monday as they got a call from the office of chief minister and party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, asking them to come to Tadepalli in the afternoon.
Among those who received the call included former minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy, Penamaluru MLA K Parthasarathy, Chintalapudi MLA V R Eliza, Chittoor MLA Arani Srinivasulu and deputy chief minister K Narayana Swamy, who represents Gangadhara Nellore (SC) constituency.
According to the party sources, all of them are likely to be denied tickets by the party for the upcoming assembly elections.
“A third list of candidates is likely to be released in a couple of days and the exercise has reached the final stages,” sources said.
Some of them have already got the hint that they might not get the ticket this time. Deputy chief minister Narayana Swamy regretted the party president his giving preference to turncoats, who shifted loyalties at the last moment, ignoring the genuine party leaders and loyalists.
“We, the Scheduled Caste MLAs, have to touch the feet of the top leaders of the party, requesting for tickets. I, too, have touched the feet of Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, apart from Jagan Mohan Reddy for the sake of party ticket,” Narayana Swamy lamented.
He said the party leadership was under the control of a handful of people who were calling shots in the party in the distribution of tickets.
“These are the people who will cause tremendous harm to Jagan,” he said.
Narayana Swamy said several discarded elements of the TDP, who have no base among the people, were being given the party tickets.
“The party should look at the characters and credibility of the candidates, rather than useless turncoats from the TDP,” he advised.