Andhra Pradesh government’s advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has poured cold water on TDP’s assertions that the ruling party has been facing resentment in the state, by comparing with the results of the panchayat elections, as YSRCP leaders claimed that TDP has put up a dismal performance in its bastions.
Reddy asserted that the YSRCP aligned candidates made inroads in Mailavaram, the constituency of former TDP Minister Devineni Uma.
He highlighted that TDP aligned candidates could only manage three sarpanch posts out of 48 panchayats, compared to YSRCP’s 44 victories.
The YSRCP leader gave a statement comparing the victories of both the ruling party and TDP in the first phase of the four-phase polls.
Likewise in Tekkali, which happens to be the constituency of TDP state president Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, the opposition party managed to win only 23 out of 135 panchayats, while YSRCP managed to win 112.
Similarly in Tuni, the constituency of former TDP minister and senior leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, TDP secured only three victories from a total of 58 panchayats, with the balance 54 being bagged by YSRCP supporters.
Moreover, the opposition party won only two panchayats in Mangalagiri constituency’s 18 panchayats, which was the constituency of TDP supremo Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh in the last Assembly elections.
“Mangalgiri reflects the fact that the party has achieved absolute obscurity in the state. On the other hand, YSRCP candidates managed to secure 14 out of the 18 panchayats in fray,” said a YSRCP leader.
In a similar fashion, Naidu’s TDP suffered setbacks in Undi, a TDP fortress for several years, by winning only 14 out of the 70 panchayats, compared to YSRCP’s exploits of 50 sarpanch post victories.
Undi constituency was represented by TDP leader Kalavapudi Siva.
According to the YSRCP leaders, candidates aligned to Pawan Kalyan’s Janasena won only three panchayats in Bhimavaram constituency, from where the actor-politician lost in the 2019 Assembly elections, compared to TDP’s two victories and YSRCP’s 39 wins.
YSRCP leaders claimed that the ruling party won more than 80 percent panchayats in the first phase elections, indicating the popularity of the chief minister’s welfare-centric governance.
“TDP faced humiliation due to party’s dismal performance in age-old bastions,” claimed a YSRCP leader.
In many places, Janasena ate into the vote share of TDP.
