Telugu Desam Infighting On in P Gannavaram

Kakinada: Infighting has erupted in the Telugu Desam in P Gannavaram Assembly constituency in the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district in a scenario where there is neither a constituency coordinator nor an incharge for the party.

The party high command declared Vadrevupalli MPTC Prathipati Uma Maheswari (Kamma) as the mandal president. She took charge on Sunday. At the same time, former mandal praja parishad president Samsani Lakshmi Gowri’s husband, Sasani Peddi Raju, was also sworn in as the mandal president.

The cadres were divided into two groups; and they attended the functions separately. Senior party leaders say the party’s mandal president post was given to Uma Maheswari on caste considerations. The cadres, however, asked how the party could appoint a leader from the Kamma community, which has a low population in the mandal as also in the Konaseema district.

There are four mandals — Ayinavilli, Ambajipeta, P Gannavaram, and Mamidikuduru —in the P Gannavaram constituency. The party appointed Gudala Phani (Settibalija) for Ambajipeta, Badugu Bhaskar Sri Ganesh (SC) for Ayinivilli and Bonam Sathibabu (Kapu) for Mamidikuduru as mandal party presidents.

There was ough competition for the P Gannavaram mandal president post.

Labour minister Vasamsetty Subhash, the party’s senior leader Dokka Nathbabu, Namana Rambabu and others extended their support to Samsani Peddiraju. But, party sources said former deputy chairman of the legislative council Reddy Subrahmanyam and others backed Uma Maheswari.

Tanuku MLA A Radhakrishna exerted pressure on the party high-command and made efforts to appoint Uma Maheswari as mandal TD president. Already, Chitturi Srinivas (Kamma) has been appointed as agriculture market committee chairman with the blessings of the Visakhapatnam MP, M Bharat.

The Samsani Peddiraju group told the TD high command that Kapus in the constituency were now with the Jana Sena party. If the mandal president post is given to the Settibalija community, BCs would fully support the TD. But, the TD did not heed their voice.

However, Peddiraju said he would abide by the decision of party elders in the constituency.