Chandragiri YSRCP MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, who has no connection with Ongole, was proposed as a Lok Sabha candidate for the area.
Chevireddy agreed to this proposal and even went to Hyderabad seeking support from Ongole MLA and former minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy immediately.
As it became apparent that the Ongole Parliament seat would not be given to Magunta, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, a senior leader of the party and MLA from Chandragiri in Tirupati District, initiated efforts to contest from Ongole.
Chevireddy proposed to Balineni that they contest together for both the Ongole Assembly and Parliament seats.
However, Balineni did not agree to this proposal and made it clear that he would support the current MP Magunta Srinivasula Reddy only if he is given the Ongole MP ticket.
It is known that Jagan is displeased with Magunta for not complying with the conditions imposed on him, including depositing Rs. 180 crores to secure a ticket.
Due to strained relations with Magunta, Jagan is exploring alternative candidates for Ongole.
Balineni has informed the CM and regional coordinators that he will contest the Assembly seat in Ongole only if Magunta is fielded as the MP from YSRCP.
MP Vijayasai Reddy intervened at one point and made some efforts to secure the seat for Magunta. However, the CM became upset, and the efforts were halted.
On the other hand, YSRCP is facing difficulty in finding a suitable candidate for the Ongole MP seat.
No one is willing to comply with the requirement of depositing Rs. 180 crores and engaging in confrontations with opposition leaders.
In response, Jagan has devised a plan to bring his close friend Chevireddy into the Ongole arena to counter Magunta and Balineni.
