Within a week of leaking to the media that he would fight against firebrand YSR Congress party leader and Andhra Pradesh minister for civil supplies Kodali Venkateshwara Rao alias Nani from Gudivada in the next assembly elections, prominent Kapu leader and former MLA from Vijayawada Vangaveeti Radhakrishna sprang a surprise.
On Sunday night, Vangaveeti attended a private programme held at a function hall in Gudivada, which was also attended by Kodali Nani.
Contrary to the expectations that they would not see eye to eye with each other, both the leaders not only exchanged pleasantries but also moved together very closely.
What surprised the local media persons who were present at the programme was that Vangaveeti and Kodali went into a huddle in an adjacent room and held discussions along with their followers for quite some. Later, both of them came to the dais together and sat together on the dais.
This surprise development led to the talk that Vangaveeti and Kodali, who had been close friends in the past, buried their political differences and agreed to work together.
Apparently, Nani convinced Vangaveeti that the latter would have no future in the Telugu Desam Party and it would be better for him to join the YSRC.
Now, the media has started speculating that Vangaveetin would join the YSRC soon and Kodali would lobby with Jagan to bring him back into the party.
Earlier reports said Vangaveeti would shift his base from Vijayawada (East) to Gudivada, which has sizeable number of Kapu voters.
He had been holding a series of meetings with Kapu community leaders in Gudivada to prepare the ground for his contest in the next elections.
The Kapu community leaders in Gudivada invited him to fight the elections from there, as he was the only one who could take on Kodali, who has been ruling the roost in Gudivada constituency.
He told his associates that he would not quit the TDP but would convince the party leadership to give him the ticket from Gudivada.