The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its alliance partner, the Jana Sena Party (JSP), on February 24 announced the first list of 118 candidates. While the TDP announced the names of contestants for 94 Assembly constituencies, the JSP did so for five of the 24 constituencies it would contest. The TDP renominated 13 of its 22 incumbent MLAs.
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TDP contestants
TDP national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu would be contesting from Kuppam, while his son and former MLC Nara Lokesh from Mangalagiri, where he had lost to the YSR Congress Party’s (YSRCP) Alla Ramakrishna Reddy in 2019. The JSP would field its candidates in three Lok Sabha constituencies too.
Those renominated by the TDP were K. Atchannaidu (Tekkali), Nandamuri Balakrishna (Hindupur), Payyavula Keshav (Uravakonda), Bendalam Ashok (Ichchapuram), Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu (Visakhapatnam East), P.G.V.R. Naidu (Visakhapatnam West), Nimmala Rama Naidu (Palakollu), Manthena Rama Raju (Undi), Nimmakayala Chinarajappa (Peddapuram), Gadde Rammohan Rao (Vijayawada East), Anagani Satya Prasad (Repalle) and Dola Sri Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy (Kondepi).
“I am against experimenting. I am keen on contesting only in those seats where I expect a ‘strike rate’ of 98%. I have settled for 24 seats keeping in view the likelihood of the BJP joining the alliance.”Pawan KalyanJSP president
TDP legislator Adireddy Bhavani’s husband Adireddy Srinivas was being fielded from Rajahmundry City constituency. Yarlagadda Venkata Rao would be the TDP’s candidate from Gannavaram, where the sitting MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi had defected to the YSRCP.
Kotamreddy in fray from Nellore Rural
YSRCP rebel MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, who joined the TDP, was being fielded from Nellore Rural constituency. Nallari Kishore Kumar Reddy, brother of former Chief Minister and current BJP leader Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, was being fielded from Pileru constituency and former Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana from Sattenapalli.
The other TDP candidates were Kalava Srinivasulu (Rayadurgam), Ponguru Narayana (Nellore City), P. Sunil Kumar (Guduru-SC), Kondru Murali Mohan (Rajam), Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu (Narsipatnam), Pithani Satyanarayana (Achanta), Kolusu Parthasarathy (Nuzvid), Kollu Ravindra (Machilipatnam), Nakka Ananda Babu (Vemuru-SC), Prathipati Pulla Rao (Chilakaluripeta), Bhuma Akhila Priya (Allagadda), Paritala Sunitha (Raptadu), Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar (Ponnur), Tenali Sravan Kumar (Tadikonda-SC), Arimilli Radha Krishna (Tanuku), Kuna Ravi Kumar (Amadalavalasa), Vegesna Narendra Kumar (Bapatla), T. Jagadeeswari (Kurupam-ST), B. Vijay (Parvathipuram-SC), Gummadi Sandhya Rani (Salur-ST), R.S.V.K.K. Ranga Rao (Bobbili), Kondapalli Srinivas (Gajapathinagaram), P. Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathiraju (Vizianagaram), C. Donnu Dora (Araku-ST), Vangalapudi Anitha (Payakaraopeta-SC), Datla Subba Raju (Mummidivaram), Saripalle Rajesh Kumar (P. Gannavaram-SC), Bandaru Satyananda Rao (Kothapeta), Vegulla Jogeswara Rao (Mandapeta), Jyothula Venkata Appa Rao (Jaggampeta), Yanamala Divya (Tuni), Badeti Radha Krishna (Eluru), S. Roshan (Chintalapudi-SC), Kolikapudi Srinivas (Tiruvuru-SC), Yarlagadda Venkata Rao (Gannavaram) and Venigandla Ramu (Gudivada).
Kagitha Krishna Prasad (Pedana), Bonda Umamaheswara Rao (Vijayawada Central), Tangirala Sowmya (Nandigama), Sriram Rajagopal (Jaggaiahpet), Varla Kumar Raja (Pamarru-SC), B. Ramanjaneyulu (Prathipadu-SC), G.V. Anjaneyulu (Vinukonda), Julakanti Brahmananda Reddy (Macherla), G. Ericson Babu (Yerragondapalem-SC), Yeluri Sambasiva Rao (Parchur), Gottipati Ravi Kumar (Addanki), B.N. Vijay Kumar (Santhanuthalapadu-SC), Damacharla Janardhan Rao (Ongole), M. Ugra Narasimha Reddy (Kanigiri), Kavya Krishna Reddy (Kavali), N. Vijayasri (Sullurpet-SC), Kakarla Suresh (Udayagiri), Reddeppagari Madhavi Reddy (Kadapa), M. Ram Prasad Reddy (Rayachoti), Marreddy Ravindranath Reddy (Pulivendula), Putta Sudhakar Yadav (Mydukur), Budda Rajasekhar Reddy (Srisailam), T.G. Bharat (Kurnool), Gouru Charitha Reddy (Panyam), B.C. Janardhan Reddy (Banaganapalle), N.Md. Farooq (Nandyal), Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy (Dhone), K.E. Syam Babu (Patthikonda), B. Dastagiri (Kodumuru), J.C. Asmith Reddy (Tadipatri), Bandaru Sravanisri (Singanamala-SC), A. Surendra Babu (Kalyanadurgam), M.E. Sunil Kumar (Madakasira-SC), Savitha (Penugonda), Jayachandra Reddy (Tamballapalle), G. Bhanu Prakash (Nagari), V.M. Thomas (Gangadhara Nellore-SC), Gurajala Jagan Mohan (Chittoor), N. Amarnath Reddy (Palamaner) and Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy (Anaparthi).
JSP candidates
The names of the JSP candidates who would be contesting in 19 out of 24 Assembly constituencies were yet to be announced. Those declared were the party’s political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar (Tenali), Konathala Ramakrishna (Anakapalli), Batthula Balarama Krishna (Rajanagaram), Pantham Nanaji (Kakinada Rural) and Lokam Madhavi (Nellimarla).
Releasing the list of his party candidates, Mr. Naidu said that the TDP-JSP alliance was a historic necessity to bring curtains down on the YSRCP’s “dictatorial regime,” and that an elaborate exercise had been done by the TDP to select the candidates.
23 new faces
The party accorded priority to youngsters and educated individuals, and gave due representation to the Backward Classes, he said. A total of 23 new candidates were in the fray, Mr. Naidu said, and stressed the need for cooperation between the TDP and JSP to achieve the desired result.
JSP chief Pawan Kalyan said he was under pressure to seek more seats. “I am against experimenting. I am keen on contesting only in those seats where I expect a ‘strike rate’ of 98%. I have settled for 24 seats keeping in view the likelihood of the BJP joining the alliance,” he said.
