Former Union minister YS Chowdary, also known as Sujana Chowdary, has announced his candidacy for the upcoming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. He will be contesting from the Vijayawada (West) constituency on the ticket of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This decision comes as part of the BJP’s strategy for the state, where it has formed an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and JanaSena Party.
Chowdary, a two-time Rajya Sabha member from TDP, previously served as the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology in the first NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He resigned from his ministerial position in March 2018, following the TDP’s withdrawal from the NDA coalition. After the TDP’s loss in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh assembly elections, Chowdary switched allegiance to the BJP. His tenure in the Rajya Sabha concluded in April 2022.
In addition to Chowdary, the BJP has announced candidates for all 10 assembly seats allotted to it as part of the alliance. Notable names include former state ministers Kamineni Srinivas Rao and C Adinarayana Reddy, former MLA P Vishnu Kumar Raju, educationist N Eshwar Rao, and others. This move signals the BJP’s intent to field strong contenders across various constituencies in the upcoming elections.
The BJP’s candidate list also includes Y Satya Kumar, the party’s national general secretary, who will contest from the Dharmavaram assembly seat in Sri Satya Sai district. The party has strategically chosen candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences to appeal to voters across different segments of society.
In addition to the assembly seats, the BJP has already announced candidates for six Lok Sabha seats allotted to it in the alliance. Notable names in the list include former Union minister Daggubati Purandeshwari, former chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh N Kiran Kumar Reddy, and outgoing Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh.
Furthermore, several defectors from other political parties have been given BJP tickets for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This includes outgoing Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh, who will contest from the Anakapalle Lok Sabha seat, and former MP and sitting Gudur MLA V Varaprasada Rao, who will contest from the Tirupati (SC) Lok Sabha seat.
Overall, the BJP’s candidate selection reflects its ambition to expand its footprint in Andhra Pradesh and consolidate its position in the upcoming elections. With a mix of seasoned politicians and fresh faces, the party aims to present a formidable challenge to its opponents and emerge victorious in the electoral battle ahead.
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