Calls grow for probe against Jagan after his close aide is convicted in attempt to murder case

                                                                
An Anantapur court in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday sentenced Dantuluri Krishna, alias Mangali Krishna, a close follower of YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, to five years imprisonment in connection with a conspiracy to kill former Telugu Desam Party MLA Paritala Ravindra in 2001.
Along with Krishna, three others -- Ramachandra Reddy, Madhusudhan Reddy and Sudheer Reddy -- were also sentenced to five years imprisonment for plotting to eliminate Paritala by planting a suitcase bomb.
The additional sessions court of Anantapur district quashed the case against another six persons who were also accused in the case. The police arrested Krishna even before the pronouncement of the judgment as per the court orders.
Although the bomb plot failed, Paritala was later shot dead in broad daylight in Anantapur on January 24, 2005, as a result of a faction feud with a dreaded Rayalaseema gangster Gangula Suryanarayana, alias Maddelacheruvu Suri. The faction killings between Paritala and Suri gangs were the central theme of noted film maker Ram Gopal Varma's bilingual movie 'Rakth Charita' made a couple of years ago.
In fact, the CBI had included the name of Jaganmohan Reddy as one of the accused in the FIR while investigating the murder of Paritala. Mail Today carried a report on January 31, 2011, about an internal document of the CBI that revealed the alleged nexus between Jagan and the killers of Paritala.
According to the information gathered by the CBI, Mangali Krishna was the neighbour and front-man of Jaganmohan Reddy in his native town of Pulivendula. At present, he is actively involved in YSR Congress party activities in Pulivendula.
The CBI document further states that Jagan wanted to take revenge against a local Telugu Desam Party leader Parthasarathy Reddy for allegedly killing his grandfather Y S Raja Reddy in May, 1998. Jagan, the CBI document said, took the help of Krishna to eliminate Parthasarathy Reddy.
Krishna, in turn, contacted Suri and his associates to execute the killing. Suri, who was already engaged in a gang war with Paritala, had struck a bargain with Krishna to eliminate Paritala first and then Parthasarathy Reddy. Krishna had extended all financial help to Suri team with the blessings of Jagan, the CBI document said.
In March 2001, Suri's gang planted a suitcase bomb in Dharmavaram in Anantapur district to eliminate Paritala Ravindra, but they could not execute the explosion as he dropped his plan to visit Dharmavaram at the last moment. The police defused the bomb later. Five persons, including Mangali Krishna, were arrested in connection with the suitcase bomb case. Krishna was later released on bail.
After Paritala's murder, the CBI had summoned Mangali Krishna for interrogation again but could not find a link. The TDP leaders alleged that the then chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had influenced the investigation agency to ensure that Jagan's name did not figure in the charge sheet. Ultimately, the CBI had given a clean chit to Jagan.
Interestingly, Mangali Krishna's name surfaced again in connection with the murder of Suri on January 3, 2011. Suri was shot dead by allegedly his own follower Bhanu Kiran on January 3 in Hyderabad. After 15 months, the Andhra CID police managed to arrest Bhanu four days ago. During interrogation, Bhanu confessed that he had done real estate dealings along with Mangali Krishna in Hyderabad and that the latter had given him the weapon to eliminate Suri.
TDP leader Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu has alleged that Mangali Krishna was the close aide of Jaganmohan Reddy and demanded that the police should reopen the case of Paritala's murder.
Krishna, however, denied the allegations against him. "There is absolutely no evidence with the police about my involvement. Obviously, it is an attempt by the big people in the ruling party who are trying to target me. I am confident that I will come out clean," he told the media in Anantapur.
from india today

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jagan-ysr-congress-party-attempted-murder-tdp-mla/1/186026.html

Congress struggling to find candidates for bypolls

                                                                    
HYDERABAD: There are no takers in the Congress for tickets for the bypolls. A day after the Election Commission announced that the bypolls to 18 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha constituency would be held on June 12, at least eight candidates shortlisted by PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana have backed out. A desperate Congress high command is now dispatching AICC leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Union minister Vayalar Ravi to Hyderabad this week-end to persuade Congress leaders to take on Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress in the bypolls being dubbed as a mini-assembly elections.

PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana had prepared a list of 14 names as ruling party candidates for the bypolls last week. However, Congress sources said many of these were mere probables who are now conveying to the state party bosses that they would prefer not to contest. "Publicly, the leaders are saying that they are backing out because they do not have the Rs 6 to Rs 7 crore needed for bypoll expenditure. However, the reality is that they are of the view that the YSR candidates are very strong and that they do not stand a chance," said party sources.

For example, the Congress had shortlisted Ananta Subba Reddy as its candidate from Anantapur Urban assembly seat. While Subba Reddy is not averse to contesting the polls, his brother and Anantapur MP A Venkatram Reddy is against Subba contesting on the grounds that he would face a humiliating defeat in the hands of sitting legislator and now YSR Congress nominee G Gurnatha Reddy. The Congress is now scouting for a leader from the minority community to be fielded from Anantapur Urban.

From Allagada assembly seat in Kurnool district, the party had shortlisted the name of Gangula Pratap Reddy but on Wednesday, he told the media that he is not keen to contest the bypolls and, in fact, went to the extent of stating that his very continuance in Congress is in doubt.

For the Polavaram ST seat, the Congress had proposed the name of Bojjaiah Dora but on Wednesday, Botsa said they are still scouting for a nominee from this assembly seat. According to the sources, the candidates named for many other assembly seats are still to confirm their candidature while the ruling party does not as yet have a nominee for constituencies like Payakaraopet (SC), Prathipadu (SC), Ongole and Macherla. Similar is the situation in Parakal in Warangal district, the lone assembly segment going to the polls in the Telangana region.

The main reason for the paucity of candidates for the Congress is said to be former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's policy of grooming his protege as the sole leader in each assembly segment. As a result, with the sitting Congress legislators jumping into the Jagan bandwagon, the Congress has no leader of stature left in the 18 constituencies.

For example, in Yemmiganur in Kurnool district, with sitting Congress MLA Y Chennakesava Reddy having joined the Jagan camp, the Congress is falling back on Y Rudra Gowda, a TDP leader who joined the ruling party only three months ago.
from ibn live

Andhra bypolls a do-or-die battle for Congress

                                                                          
The by-elections to 18 State Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh, slated for June 12 will be a do-or-die battle for the ruling Congress party as it faces a tough challenge for the fledgling YSR Congress party of YS Jaganmohan Reddy with main Opposition Telugu Desam Party going all out to benefit from the division of Congress votes.
Such is the political significance of these by-elections that this was being described as “mini general election” or a semi-final in the run up to the 2014 general elections. The outcome of the bypoll will be so important that if the Congress looses all of them or even most of them, there was every likelihood of the State plunging into political instability and the Congress Government further loosening its grip.
While 17 Assembly seats and Nellore Lok Sabha seat fell vacant as the supporters of Jaganmohan Reddy in Congress party either resigned or they were disqualified from the Assembly. The Tirupati Assembly seat was vacated by Chiranjeevi on his elevation to the Rajya Sabha by the Congress party.
Except one seat — Parkal in Telangana district of Warangal — all other seats were in Rayal Seema and Andhra region, which have turned the main battle front between the Congress and YSR Congress.
Jaganmohan Reddy’s party has already become a thorn in the Congress flesh as it has won two Assembly seats —Pulivendula and Kovvur. Jagan himself won Kadapa Lok Sabha seat in a by-election with a record breaking margin. If he continues his winning spree and also bags Nellore Lok Sabha constituency and majority of the Assembly seats, it can trigger off fresh exodus from the Congress party putting a question mark on the future of N Kiran Kumar Reddy Government.
The announcement of the by-election schedule by the Election Commission, scheduling the bypoll on June 12, has come as a big blow to the Congress party which was hoping for a delayed bypoll. While YSR Congress has already announced that all the MLAs who had resigned or disqualified will be its candidate in the by-elections, Congress was finding the choice of candidates difficult because of the group rivalries and many contenders of the ticket.
So far the party was able to shortlist candidates for only 14 seats and they were also yet to nod of the high command. The fact that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and the State Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana do not see eye to eye has only further compounded the woes of the party.
However knowing that if the party loses elections, they will be in real danger of losing their position may force the two top leaders to bury the hatchet for the time being.
The TDP on the other hand was hopeful of benefiting from the fact that the Congress vote bank will now be divided in two parts. The party has decided to make the political instability, policy paralysis and corruption the main issue to target both the Congress and the YSR Congress.
As far as the by-election in lone Telangana Assembly constituency Parkal is concerned, it will be a fight mainly between the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the YSR Congress.

Suitcase bomb case: Four get 5-year jail

                                                                    
Anantapur additional assistant sessions judge Satyavani, sentenced four accused, including Mangali Krishna, to five years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs.1,000 in the suitcase bomb case here on Wednesday.
Out of 14 accused in the case, three died during trial and one person is absconding. Of the remaining 10 accused, six were acquitted. Mangali Krishna, Dola Ramachandra Reddy, Kottakota Ravindra Reddy and Golla Subbi Reddy were sentenced in the case.
Political rivals had unsuccessfully tried twice to kill former MLA Paritala Ravi with a suitcase bomb in 2001.
Police arrested Obula-pathi alias Chalapathi at NTR Circle near the Anantapur railway station when he was bringing the suitcase bomb from Hyderabad to Anantapur on March 19, 2001.
Based on information given by him, Mangali Krishna, Dola Ramachandra Reddy, Kottakota Ravindra Reddy and Golla Subbi Reddy, coming on another train from Hyderabad, were arrested the same day.
Based on information provided by them, some persons were arrested and some others surrendered.
from dc

Congress in a fix over Udayagiri

Congress leaders are in a dilemma over choosing a candidate for the Udayagiri Assembly seat, where a byelection is also on the cards for the Assembly seat apart from the Parliament election.
Although the Congress got a fillip following the selection of Rajya Sabha member T. Subbarami Red-dy for the Nellore Parlia-ment seat, the party is dillydallying over the candidate for Udayagiri, since any wrong selection will have its impact on vote share to the MP candidate.
As of now, the names of former TD MLA Kambam Vijayarami Reddy, former minister Madala Janakir-am and former ZP chairman P. Chanchalbabu Yad-av are doing the rounds as possible nominees for the Congress.
According to a senior lea-der, most TD cadres and leaders remained with it though Mr Vijayarami Red-dy migrated from it. His failure to bring a single TD leader, where he was a member right from its in-ception has led to reservations over his nomination.
In case of Mr Janakiram, he migrated to the TD from Congress and contested for the Kavali seat against Ms Magunta Parvatamma in 2004. His hip-hopping betw-een the Congress and TD has placed a question mark over his choice.
Although Mr Chanchal-babu Yadav is a Congress loyalist, party leaders consider him a weak candidate. Campaign managers of TSR are in favour of noted industrialist P.V. Prasannakumar Reddy and are putting all their efforts to bring him into the fray.
A close associate and relative of the late Magunta Subbarami Reddy, Mr Prasannakumar Reddy contested for the Nellore Assembly seat unsuccessfully in 1994 against T. Ramesh Reddy. Although he does not stay in Nellore, he ensures that his contacts in the district remain intact.
Recalling that he played a key role from behind the scenes for the success of the late Magunta Subbarami Reddy in politics, sources claim that his presence will benefit party nominees in segments such as Nellore town, rural, Kovur and Kavali since he has a wide network of friends and relatives in these constituencies.
from dc

Former corporators set to join YSRCP

                                                                              

Former corporators of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation representing the Congress and TDP from One Town area have made up their plans to join YSR Congress Party in the presence of Kadapa MP and party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday. Former corporators Abdul Qader, Buddha Jagannatham and Avala Maruthi, Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam ex board member Darisi Vasu and others were some of the leaders who disclosed their plans to media here on Wednesday. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) urban vice president S. Prasad, youth Congress leader M. Srinivas were some others who joined the league. A rally will be taken out from One Town to former MLA Vangaveeti Radhakrishna's house on Friday.

About 500 people on their scooters and motorcycles will take part in the rally, said Mr. Vasu. The rally will proceed to Ramvarappadu covering all major areas.