Reports suggest that Kodali Venkateswara Rao (Nani) Gudivada MLA of TDP has done lot of home work before coming to the conclusion that he and his party would stand no chance of winning in 2014, before taking the decision to join the YSR Congress.
Nani a close associate of TDP’s Nandamuri Hari Krishna and his actor son Jr. NTR got TDP ticket because of the two. Though the TDP leaders claim that it was their charisma that worked in his favour in 2004 and 2009 when he won the seat despite winds strongly favouring the Congress, every politician knows that Nani’s victory was hard won and money played a key role. If Hari Krishna has a magic wand with which he could ensure the victory of his followers, why was he himself defeated as ‘Anna Telugu Desam’ candidate in 1999 and even lost deposit, question Nani’s supporters. Hari Krishna chose the Gudivada constituency as it was the birth place of N T Rama Rao, his father and founder of TDP, when he launched his own party wanted to take on Chandra Babu Naidu. TDP candidate Ravi Haragopal has defeated Hari Krishna then. Supporters of Nani are also questioning (though privately), why has the TDP not come to power in 2009, when Jr. NTR campaigned the party if his charisma was alone sufficient to win an election.
TDP leaders are stating that Nani had openly told them that he had spent Rs. 30 crore to get elected to the Assembly in 2009 and he was not sure of getting elected as TDP candidate in 2014 even if he spent that much or more.
Nani’s supporters are stating that he has taken the decision to switch his loyalty to the YSR Congress because a majority of the SC population (44,000) was now supporting Jagan. The Kamma community to which Nani belongs has only 9,000 votes in the constituency, which has a Muslim Population of 20,000 and Vysya population of 15,000. There are 30,000 BCs. Of the BCs, Kapus form a majority with 20,000 votes. Kapus who have a long-drawn battle with Kammas would not vote for the TDP, branded as a party of the community. With most of the local communities that form a majority of the voters supporting Jagan, the YSR Congress is clearly ahead of others, say analysts. It is because of this calculation that Nani has left the TDP, say sources.