VIJAYAWADA: In what has come as a surprise to most, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, as president of the YSR Congress, is fielding his close political aide and Rajya Sabha MP V. Vijayasai Reddy from Nellore parliament constituency.His name figures in the ninth list of party coordinators / in-charges of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies during the upcoming general elections.The list released on Friday night had names of three candidates, one from Lok Sabha and two from assembly constituencies.It may be recalled that Jagan Mohan Reddy had full faith in Vijayasai Reddy. He gave the latter many responsibilities right from the inception of YSRC. Presently, Vijayasai Reddy is party’s national general secretary, besides discharging various posts in YSRC including that of regional coordinator.YSRC sources point out that once former YSRC leader Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy formally joins Telugu Desam on Saturday, he will be fielded as TD’s MP candidate from the Nellore Lok Sabha seat.As there are not many leaders who can contest against Vemireddy, Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided to field Vijayasai Reddy as YSRC candidate from the seat. The expectation is that the RS member will give a tough fight to Vemireddy and win the important Lok Sabha seat for the party.Senior IAS officer A. Md. Imtiaz, who has taken voluntary retirement just the other day, has been appointed as in-charge of Kurnool assembly seat.Interestingly, the party high command has replaced Ganji Chiranjeevi, who had earlier been announced as Mangalagiri coordinator / in-charge, with Murugudu Lavanya, who is from a political family. Lavanya is the daughter of former MLA Kandru Kamala and daughter-in-law of MLC Murugudu Hanumantha Rao. She is a BC, which can be the deciding factor in Mangalagiri.Incidentally, Nara Lokesh is re-contesting from Mangalagiri after having lost the seat in 2019 polls. Hence, Jagan Mohan Reddy is focusing on the Mangalagiri seat.The Chief Minister had held talks with Mangalagiri present MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, Ganji Chiranjeevi, Kandru Kamala and MLC Hanumantha Rao late on Friday evening and decided on fielding Lavanya from the Mangalagiri seat as the YSRC candidate.
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