All eyes on Bheemili as Naidu set to pick Vizag dist candidates today

According to party sources, Naidu will review the party position in assembly segments and Visakhapatnam, Anakapalle and  Aaaku Lok Sabha seats.

VISAKHAPATNAM: As Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu will undertake an exercise on Thursday to select party nominees for the coming general elections in Visakhapatnam district at a review meeting in Amaravati even as hopefuls wait with bated breath.  

According to party sources, Naidu will review the party position in assembly segments and Visakhapatnam, Anakapalle and  Aaaku Lok Sabha seats. The meeting is also likely to put an end to speculation over IT Minister Nara Lokesh contesting from  Bheemili constituency. However, it is learnt that the party is most likely to field HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao from the seat. The party is also likely to announce names of the some of the sitting MLAs initially and would put on hold those constituencies where there is dissidence against the sitting MLAs.

It is learnt sitting MLAs in Narsipatnam, Gajuwaka, East, West and Pendurty Assembly constituencies will be given nod at the meeting.The review meeting, scheduled to be held in the last week of February, has been postponed twice. It is learnt that 50 persons, including party MLAs, former corporators, booth conveners and coordinators, from each constituency have been invited for the meeting.

As the party has snapped ties with the BJP last year, the party will field its candidates for Visakhapatnam North and  Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituencies from where the BJP nominees won as part of the alliance in 2014 elections.

It is learnt that the party may field Yelamanchili MLA P Ramesh Babu from Visakhapatnam North constituency. At the same time, Medapati Krishna Reddy has been lobbying for the seat. It has to be seen whom the party will select for the segment.

There has been a growing distance against sitting MLAs, particularly in rural segments, and according to sources, the party will tread cautiously, while choosing candidates in these constituencies by taking all leaders into confidence.

Former Union minister Kishore Chandra Deo, who joined the TDP, may find acceptance for Araku Lok Sabha constituency. Suspense over the party nominee for Vizag Lok Sabha constituency continues with M Sribharat, grandson of MVVS Murthy, throwing his hat into the ring. And also  for Anakapalle seat the party may wait for a few days to take a decision.

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