TDP jumps into Munugode by-election; fields Jakkali Ilaiah Yadav

MUNUGODE: Proving the recent speculation right, the Telugu Desam Party has finally decided to field its candidate for the Munugode Assembly by-election. After deliberations, party chief N Chandrababu Naidu reportedly finalised the name of Jakkali Ilaiah Yadav. He is widely expected to make a formal announcement to this effect on Thursday (October 13).

The last day for filing of nominations for the by-election is October 14. The TDP jumping into the fray at the last minute for the bypoll, where a three-dimensional contest is on the cards, has given a curious spin to it. Despite having its presence in some pockets, the party has largely been a non-entity in Telangana in the last few years.

Even in Munugode, as history suggests, the TDP was never known to be a force to reckon with and its chances of securing a significant vote share in the by-election look very slim. Ever since Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy resigned from the seat and necessitated the by-election, the buzz was largely around the three main contenders, the TRS, the BJP and the Congress.

The TDP too, on its part, continued to be in the oblivion with regard to Munugode. But the speculation was rife in the last two days about the possibilities of Chandrababu Naidu fielding his candidate from here, prompting political analysts to go deep into its motives. It is believed that, by fielding a Yadav in Munugode, the TDP would be ideally hoping to project a pro-BC image which has taken a severe beating in Andhra Pradesh in the 2019 elections.

Conspiracy theories are also floating around to suggest that the TDP fielding its nominee at the eleventh hour could be aimed at minimising the vote share of either the TRS, which is confident of pocketing the seat, or the Congress, that is determined to overcome the Rajgopal Reddy jolt and retain the constituency.