Aspirants vie for Kiran’s attention in Tirupati

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High drama prevailed at the Padmavati Guest House here on Monday for over two hours as Congress and erstwhile Praja Rajyam leaders competed with each other to meet Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy who is here on a two-day visit.

According to reliable sources, while half-a-dozen local leaders, including former MLA M. Venkataramana, met the CM individually, several others barged into the venue in groups.

After the CM met the prominent leaders, it was the turn of Mr Chiranjeevi to join the discussions with his supporters.

Interestingly, mines minister Galla Aruna Kumari too was seen canvassing with the CM for a ticket for her son Galla Jayadev. The party cadre who usually throngs the minister whenever she makes a public appearance, chose to linger around the CM and Mr Chiranjeevi this time.

The lobbying for the ticket by the Congress and PR groups led to a clear split based on the caste factor.

The CM is believed to have enquired about the strengths of YSR Congress candidate Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and the TD's probable candidate, C. Krishnamurthy.

Some senior Congress leaders bluntly told the CM that it would be a Herculean task for the party to win in case of a split in the Balija votes, thus indirectly hinting a rethink on the candidature of Mr Venkata Ramana, a Balija, in the backdrop of the TD fielding a Balija candidate.

If this situation were to arrive, it would benefit the YSR Congress, they said. Similarly, another section vehemently opposing Mr Jayadev's candidature said that he has no public support, and that it would split the Kamma votes.

The Congress cadres also opined that if Mr Chiranjeevi were to campaign in Tirupati, it would be a big minus point to the party.

While all this political activity was going on, half a dozen intelligence officials, including from Hyderabad, were busy interacting with the cadre at the lawns and corridors of the Guest House.