Hyderabad, July 7: TDP MLA Kodali Nani who is a close follower of party Rajya Sabha member Nandamuri Hari Krishna and hero Jr. NTR has finally decided to leave the party, due to his differences with the Krishna district party President Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and join the YSR Congress.
According to reliable sources, his close friend Vangaveeti Radha Krishna has persuaded him to join the YSRCP. If this happens, then it would make a dent in the strength of the party in Krishna district as well as its support base of the Kamma community.
Roumers about Nani joining the YSRCP have been doing the rounds in political circles since quite some time. Nani however met the party chief N Chandrababu Naidu and assured him that he would not leave the party. When he has expressed his fears that he would be deprived of his Gudivada seat as reports said that hero Bala Krishna would be contesting there, Naidu has reportedly assured him that in the 2014 elections also he would be given ticket from Gudivada and that Bala Krishna would contest either from Padamata or Penamaluru.
It was then said that Naidu has advised Nani to hold a press conference and deny the reports. However Nani has not done it so far.
Nani and Vallabhaneni Vamsi are two strong supporters of Hari Krishna and Bala Krishna in Krishna district. Some time ago when the YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy toured the Krishna district, Vamsi met him on the road and the two hugged each other. TDP has issued a show cause notice to Vamsi on this and he had later come to Hyderabad and assured Naidu that it was just a chance meeting and he would not leave the party.
Reports have been doing rounds that differences developed between the matinee idol Jr. NTR and Nani. Of late Vamsi is also said to be maintaining distance from the hero. According to information, YSR Congress leaders have been persuading Nani to join the party, assuring him of bright future, including a cabinet post if the party wins the 2014 general elections. Nani has weighed the opportunities and has decided that he would not stand a chance of getting a minister post even if TDP won in the 2014 elections as the post would naturally offered to his senior Devineni Uma. If the YSR Congress comes to power, he would have a bright future there, he is believed to have decided.
It is learnt that when mediators met Jagan, he has advised Nani through them to resign to the party and the Assembly seat, so that he could win on the YSR Congress ticket in the by-election.
YSR Congress has been looking for Kamma leaders in Krishna and Guntur districts where the community is politically strong. It is being said that with building strong base among the community in view, that the YSR Congress has been after Nani, taking advantage of his differences with Uma. It is being said that he might join the party in the presence of Y S Vijayamma on the ninth of this month. However, it is being said that Vangaveeti Radha Krishna would be meeting Jagan in the jail on Friday or Saturday and finalize the date. YSR Congress leaders are said to be trying to persuading even Vamsi to join the party.