Jana Sena announces sixth candidate for Andhra Assembly polls

Amaravati, March 11 (IANS) Jana Sena Party (JSP), on Monday, announced Kandula Durgesh as its candidate for Nidadavole Assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

He is the sixth candidate to be announced by the actor-politician Pawan Kalyan-led party for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

According to a statement by JSP, Pawan Kalyan approved for Durgesh, president of the party’s united East Godavari unit. He will contest as the candidate of the alliance.

The announcement came two days after TDP, BJP and JSP firmed up their alliance for the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

The tripartite alliance is yet to announce the seat sharing agreement.

Last month, TDP and JSP declared seat adjustment. TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu had left 24 out of 175 Assembly seats and three out of 25 Lok Sabha seats for Pawan Kalyan’s party.

At a joint news conference with Pawan Kalyan on February 24, Naidu had announced candidates for 94 Assembly seats.

Pawan Kalyan had also announced candidates for five Assembly seats.

After BJP came forward to join the alliance, both Naidu and Pawan Kalyan held two rounds of talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J. P. Nadda to finalise the alliance. Both TDP and JSP have reportedly agreed to leave a few seats for BJP.

In the 2019 elections, Nidadavole seat was won by YSR Congress Party’s G. Srinivas Naidu, defeating his nearest rival B. Sesha Rao of TDP by 21,688 votes. Atikala Ramya Sri of JSP, who had contested the elections in alliance with BSP and the Left parties, was a distant third.