Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao left an indelible mark on Vijayawada politics. His son Vangaveeti Radhakrishna has not been able to replicate his father’s achievements. The family, which had been in Congress since the beginning, has a sizeable influence not only in Vijayawada but also among Kapus in coastal districts. In view of this, Radha got elected from Congress the first time. But he could not have imagined that it will be a long while for him to become a legislator again, of at all he wins again.
Radha, who joined Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party contested from Vijayawada Central in 2009 but lost. Following the merger of Praja Rajyam in Congress, Radha had shifted to YSRCP. But as he felt there was no recognition and having realized that he might not get Vijayawada Central seat too, he joined the TDP, the party which his family fought for many decades.
His father Vangaveeti Radhakrishna was assassinated during TDP rule in 1988. Though he joined the party leaving all this baggage, he was not allotted a seat by the party in 2019. But he campaigned for the party vigorously. Now the talk is party chief N Chandrababu Naidu is going to give him a good opportunity.
In-charge of Avanigadda
TDP leadership feels that party senior leader Mandali Buddha Prasad is not active in Avanigadda. Hence, Naidu is said to be mulling to hand over party responsibilities to young leader Radha in the constituency. Kapus are dominant in Avanigadda. Apart from making in-charge of party affairs, the speculation is that the seat will also be confirmed for Radha in the next elections.
Will Radha accept it?
Vangaveeti family has a considerable grip in Vijayawada Central from the beginning. But Kapus across Andhra Pradesh are sentimental towards the Vangaveeti family. After going through all the constituencies having Kapu population, the TDP has decided to make Radha in-charge of Avanigadda.
Earlier, the party has conducted a secret survey on making him in-charge of Sattenapalli constituency in Guntur district. Two mandals in the constituency are dominated by Kapus. Survey results too are said to have favoured Radha. However, the party has not gone ahead taking non-local factor into consideration. Naidu is said to have concluded that maximum benefit can be obtained if he is given responsibilities in Avanigadda.
Is Radha in touch with Jana Sena?
Vangaveeti Radha has been active in Amaravati agitation. He is one of the leaders who regularly visits the camps of Amaravati protesting farmers and expresses solidarity with them. The catch is he is not mentioning TDP at all during his speeches or interactions. This led to suspicions that he may be in touch with Janasena.
Recently, there were even reports of Radha meeting Janasena leaders, triggering rumours of his changing party once again. However, Praja Rajyam experience is said to be holding him back from going ahead. Anyway, it can be assumed that he got a constituency of his own to nurture and focus on in TDP.
