Senior TDP leader-turned-YSRCP MLA from Chirala Karanam Balaram is finding self in hot water. A diehard TDP man, he joined the YSRCP in the post 2019 political situation. Normally things should have been easy for a leader like Karanam. But, he is finding a very tough obstacle to overcome. The obstacle is Amanchi Krishna Mohan.

Amanchi has been Karanam’s traditional rival and has defeated him several times. He has his roots deep in Chirala constituency. He is also known as a mass leader. Even after losing the elections in 2019, people still flock to Amanchi’s residence to get their problems redressed. So, Karanam is finding an alternative power centre in the party. So, a dispute about who gets the party ticket in 2024 is a big question.

The YSRCP leadership has reportedly asked Karanam to shift to Parchur, which is dominated by the caste he belongs to in 2024 elections. But Karanam is said to be disinclined to shift to Parchur. Even Jagan is said to have suggested that Karanam should shift to Parchur.

However, Karanam’s biggest problem is that his politics have always been limited to Addanki and Chirala. Cultivating Parchur calls for lot of time and effort. Also he does not want to lose Chirala and Addanki. Hence, he wants to contest from Chirala only. It remains to be seen if the efforts of Karanam to contest from Chirala only bear fruit or he will have to shift to Parchur.