Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s wily strategy of ensuring that the MLC elections in Kadapa-Ananatapur-Kurnool local bodies’ constituency do not become unanimous has backfired.
Naidu decided that the TDP extend support to an independent candidate Ramanaiah Yadav, despite knowing the fact that the TDP doesn’t have any strength to win the seat.
Nearly 98 percent of the voters in the local bodies in Kadapa belong to the YSRC and the TDP and independents have only 60 votes, which are hardly enough even to think of contesting the MLC elections.
Yet, Naidu decided to support an independent candidate Ramanaia Yadav only with a wicked intention that the YSRC candidate will not get elected unopposed. So, he asked his party councillors to sign the nomination papers of Ramanaiah Yadav.
But on Wednesday, during the scrutiny of the nomination papers, things turned against Naidu. Three TDP councillors in Kadapa, who were believed to have signed the nomination papers of Yadav, revolted against the party.
The three councillors – Shiva Jyothy, the only TDP councillor in Proddutur municipality and two other TDP councillors from Mydukuru municipality – Venkata Subba Redy and Khader Basha, lodged a written complaint with the returning officer saying they had not signed the nomination papers of Ramaiaha Yadav.
Their complaint shocked the TDP in the district and also Ramanaiay Yadav, whose nomination was automatically rejected on the ground that he had submitted forged signatures.
The TDP leadership is alleging that the YSR Congress party had threatened the TDP councillors and made them lodge a false complaint with the returning officer. But it is learnt the three councillors had revolted against the party and supported the YSRC candidate.
Now, the election authorities are filing a criminal case against the TDP and also the independent candidate, while declaring the YSRC candidate Ramasubba Reddy elected unopposed!