Kesineni Sirinivas, also known as Nani, who won the Lok Sabha seat twice on TDP ticket, has stated that he would contest independently if the party did not choose to field him again in Vijayawada. Speaking to the media, he revealed that he was not invited to the recent Mahanadu of TDP because his constituency issues were taken care of by another MP. Mahanadu is an annual event where the party leaders from all over the state, including ground level cadres, meet and chalk out political strategies.
When Nani successfully ran for the MP seat a second time, he had sought the parliamentary party floor leader position, but Guntur MP Galla Jayadev was chosen over him. The decision upset Nani no end. It may also be mentioned here that his younger brother Kesineni Shivanath has been evincing a sudden interest in politics for a while. He joined the party last year, something that has irked Nani. Shivanath could also be angling for the TDP ticket for Vijayawada next year, it is said, adding to the tension in the region.
The Kesineni family were into the travel business earlier and once possessed 180 buses. However, the business was shut down in 2018. Nani still has a lot of political muscle, it may be noted, and cannot be easily brushed aside. Earlier during the 2021 Vijayawada municipal elections, all those deputed to be in charge of the Assembly constituencies in Vijayawada unilaterally announced his daughter as the mayoral candidate.
“Many leaders in the constituency have been very unhappy with Nani because of his moves at the time. He has as many as 16 MLA candidates ranged against him,” said the TDP party member who preferred to remain anonymous. He added, “TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu is watching the scenario in Vijayawada closely.”
