How to ruin one’s own political career and lose popularity as fast as one gets? For all these, one should only study North Andhra’s Pathapatnam’s YSRCP MLA Reddy Santhi. Coming from an illustrious political family that has three former MLA, Reddy Santhi is now said to be finding herself on the political crossroads with anti-incumbency rising against her by each passing day.
Reddy Santhi’s grandfather Saibabu Naidu, father Rajasekhar and Mother Rukmini were all MLAs. But in the recent local body elections, her son Sravan could not win the ZPTC election. At a time when the YSRCP swept all the ZPTC, MPP elections, her son has lost from Hiramandalam ZPTC seat. This has given rise to the public talk that the MLA has lost touch with the constituency and that she has lost her grip on the constituency.
There are 38 ZPTC seats in Srikakulam district. The YSRCP had won 37 of them. The only ZPTC seat lost is that of MLA’s son. To add insult to injury, in three of the five mandals in the constituency, the elected MPPs do not belong to her group. She could not get a person of her choice as the MPP in Hiramandalam, Kothuru and Meliaputti.
The general complaint against the MLA is that she is being guided by her PAs. Even senior party leaders say that her PAs dictate terms and the MLA merely follows them. As a result, even those belonging to her own social category are said to be getting alienated from her. Will the MLA wake up and set her house in order?