By Oracle
It’s a game of thrones, in a small way though. The power of a senior Extra Constitutional Authority (ECA) N Chandrababu Naidu prevailed over a Junior ECA Marri Shashidhar Reddy.
This is the sad story of former Minister Marri Shashidhar Reddy being denied the Congress ticket. Shashidhar Reddy is the son of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Marri Channa Reddy.
Shashidhar Reddy was known as an ECA when Dr. Channa Reddy was the Chief Minister between 1989 and 1990. Shashidhar Reddy was believed to have had his way in many a government decision. He used to personally supervise who should meet the Chief Minister and what matters should be taken to the knowledge of his father. His detractors within and also outside the Congress used to call him an ECA.
Shashidhar Reddy went to court on the deletion of names of voters from electoral rolls but lost. He has made enough noise against the TRS dispensation in the last four years. Having lost to Talasani Srinivas Yadav, presently minister in the caretaker Government, from Sanathnagar Assembly constituency in Hyderabad, Shashidhar Reddy expected that he would be a natural choice for the Congress party to contest again.
Interestingly, Srinivas Yadav contested and won on behalf of the TDP in 2014 elections and later he joined the TRS.
Therefore, the TDP wanted to put its candidate in the fray. Since the TDP is now part of the grand alliance led by the Congress, the latter has obliged the TDP’s demand and left Sanathnagar seat to them. Kuna Venkatesh Goud, who has been asking for the TDP ticket, has finally got it and is given the B-form.
Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who was known as ECA in the TDP between 1983 and 1989 when N T Rama Rao was the Chief Minister, is much senior to Shashidhar Reddy in political machinations and maneuvering. Also, Naidu is the longest serving Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, Shashidhar Reddy could not match the ‘scheming skills’ of Naidu and had to lose the opportunity to contest from Sanathnagar Assembly constituency.
In fact, Shashidhar Reddy was elected from Sanathnagar three times. He was Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. This was equivalent to the rank of a Minister of State in the Union Government. But, with the Congress denying him the ticket this time, his political career will now be in a limbo.