The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by Chandrababu Naidu is aiming to defeat Kodali Nani, who has won from Gudivada four times in a row and served as a minister in Jagan Mohan Reddy's cabinet. Chandrababu is reportedly working on selecting candidates for the upcoming elections and has decided to field NRI Venigalla Ram over Kodali Nani.
Chandrababu believes that the Kamma-Dalit combination will work in Ram's favor, as his wife is a Dalit Christian who has been involved in social activities in Gudivada. Chandrababu also thinks that Ram has ample financial resources and can face Kodali Nani as a leader.
However, there are concerns that Chandrababu is sidelining long-time TDP supporter Ravi Venkateswara Rao, who does not have as many financial resources as Ram. It remains to be seen whether Ram can compete with Kodali Nani in the upcoming elections.
Winning this seat is a matter of prestige for Chandrababu and TDP now has a personal vengeance against Kodali Nani given his frequent outbursts against Babu and his family. They feel he has to pay a heavy price for it while on the other hand Nani is confident that he cannot be defeated at all by Babu & Co. The mother of all battles is in the offing next year in AP.
