Cash bags to decide Kadapa polls

The TRS and the Congress candidates were reportedly spent around `100 crore in the recent MLC elections under local body constituency in Nalgonda. However, MLC elections in Kadapa may all set to break Nalgonda’s record as both the YSR Congress (YSRC) and the Telugu Desam (TD) making the victory here a matter of prestige.

The ruling TD is determined to check YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in his home district by defeating his uncle Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy in the polls of MLCs to be elected by local body representatives.

“We are going to defeat Mr Vivekananda Reddy in the polls. It will be followed by the defeat of Mr Jagan in Pulivendula in the 2019 election,” said AP minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who is in charge of Kadapa.

The TD picked one ‘B.Tech Ravi’ as its MLC candidate a month ago. Mr Ravi was the TD candidate against Y.S. Vijayamma, the mother of Mr Jagan, in the 2011 bypoll in Pulivendula.

There are 818 local body representatives, who are eligible to vote for this MLC election. These representatives include ZPTCs, MPTCs, corporators and municipal councillors.

Though originally the YSRC had a clear edge in the Electoral College, the TD claims allegiance of 452 members out of 818 due to its sustained efforts.

Neither the YSRC nor the TD is willing to go on record on the expenditure earmarked for this election. But they concede that without spending money, no one will listen to them. “We have to pay more and yet there is no guarantee who they will vote for as they are taking money from both the camps,” admitted a senior YSRC leader.

The TD is not just spending money to get the votes as they are also reportedly offering district level posts to the turncoats.