A discreet silence being maintained by ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) strongman and Minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy has become a point of discussion among the party cadre in the district at a time when the electioneering in the State has reached a feverish pitch.
A trusted lieutenant of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Mr. Ramachandra Reddy has always proved his mettle as a troubleshooter during times of crisis.
Be it allocation of party portfolios/nominated posts or drawing opposition leaders and cadre into the YSRCP’s fold, Mr. Ramachandra Reddy has always played an instrumental role, thus earning for himself the title of ‘Peddayana’ among his fellow legislators and party workers.
Even in the run-up to the byelections to the Tirupati Parliamentary constituency which was necessitated following the death of YSRCP MP Balli Durgaprasad in 2021, Mr. Ramachandra Reddy was shouldered with the responsibility of winning the seat with a huge margin.
He also played a pivotal role in sweeping all four ZPTCs and winning 62 of the 65 MPTC seats in Kuppam Assembly constituency, a bastion of TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Nevertheless, a sudden quietude of a leader of such high calibre has triggered a debate among party leaders and cadre who are coming up with their own interpretations of the situation.
While one section of the cadre opines that he is busy with electioneering in his native Punganur Assembly constituency and Rajampet Parliamentary segment from where his son Peddireddi Mithun Reddy is contesting, another section says this is an indication of his grip weakening over the district.
To substantiate their stance, they point at the nomination of R.K. Roja as the party’s candidate from Nagari which they say was allegedly done despite his objections. The allocation of Tirupati and Chandragiri Assembly seats to the sons of sitting MLAs Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy (now contesting from Ongole LS seat) has further added to his disappointment, say sources.
A non-controversial opinion shared by some is that he is busy with the task of wresting the Kuppam Assembly seat from Mr. Naidu — a humongous responsibility given to him by the party.
