Post date: Apr 28, 2011 6:6:7 AM
YS Vivekananda Reddy, the Congress candidate who is up against his sister-in-law Vijayamma in the May 8th bypoll for the Pulivendula Assembly seat, has given a dramatic twist to the family soap opera that the byelections are fast turning out to be -- he is pitching for YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, albeit in hush-hush tones.
The late YSR’s brother has been approaching voters in the constituency with the request that they may vote for Jagan in the bypoll for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat but should elect him from Pulivendula.
The change in strategy -- the Congress has been going hammer and tongs at Jagan as part of its election campaign -- has been necessitated by the perceived support for the late YSR family in Pulivendula. By appearing to be soft on Jagan, sources said, Vivekananda Reddy hopes to steal a march over YSR’s widow and affirm his claim to his late brother’s political legacy and send a message that he’s not against either the YSR family or Jagan.
Political observers also point out that despite his loyalty to the Congress, Vivekananda Reddy indeed has a “soft corner for his boy, Jagan.”Though the Congress is aware of all this, it is in no position to act because of the heavy odds stacked against its candidate, minister DL Ravindra Reddy, in Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency.
For that matter, even in Pulivendula, its nominee Vivekananda Reddy is facing an uphill task. So, any strategy that works is good enough, at least for now. Personally for Vivekananda Reddy, the election is a do or die battle. Defeat could mean political oblivion.
Though the Congress may reward him by sending him back to the Legislative Council or accommodating him in the Cabinet, Vivekananda Reddy may not want to be seen in his home town as a defeated, power-hungry politician.