In a rare display of bonhomie, the Tirupati YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) candidate Bhumana Abhinaya Reddy met his rival Jana Sena Party (JSP) contestant Arani Srinivasulu and greeted him with all smiles, ahead of the ensuing Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections.
Mr. Srinivasulu, who won as the YSRCP MLA from Chittoor in 2019, switched to the JSP after reportedly being denied a ticket to contest for the second time. He is now projected as the prospective candidate for the Tirupati Assembly constituency. With JSP president Pawan Kalyan declaring his name the previous day, Mr. Srinivasulu reached the Tatayagunta Gangamma temple on Friday to seek blessings.
Mr. Reddy, already at the temple, reportedly waited for over half an hour and left only after greeting Mr. Srinivasulu and his party workers. While the JSP cadre was taken aback by the amiability displayed by their candidate, YSRCP workers were buoyant that this act of camaraderie would enhance the positive image of their leader.
Reluctance in the alliance camp
On the other hand, the TDP, JSP, and BJP camp is riddled with anxiety as the cadre strictly opposes the parachuted candidate from Chittoor; local leaders of the alliance parties questioned the rationale behind the selection of Mr. Srinivasulu and scrutinised the acceptance quotient by Tirupati voters.
However, sources acquainted with the discussions of the meeting said that some consensus prevailed among the leaders who felt that either Pawan Kalyan should represent the town based on the sentiments of the Balija community who constitute the majority, or one among them should be given a chance to wrest the seat which was won by the TDP in 1983, 1994, 1999 and 2014.
