Will it be Jagan Mohan Reddy vs nine others with the same name in the forthcoming Kadapa parliamentary elections? Already handicapped by a brand new party known as the YSR Congress party and the lack of a permanent election symbol, his opponents have decided to make things worse for Jagan.
Sources say his opponents have managed to find 10 independent candidates with the same name -- Y Jagan Mohan Reddy -- who will contest the elections against the real Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The story does not end there. Jagan's mother Vijalaxmi too will face similar competition from six namesakes in the Kadapa assembly elections.
The Jagan camp is inclined to blame the Congress which is waiting with bated breath for the result of these elections. It is make-or-break for both the Congress and Jagan. If the latter were to stage a huge win, then the end game begins for the Congress in Andhra Pradesh. This is because many members of the legislative assembly are expected to crossover to the Jagan camp following a favourable electoral verdict.
However, if Jagan manages to lose, then it is certainly curtains for him.
The namesake battle will take shape by Tuesday evening, when the scrutiny of the nomination papers begins. Some candidates may be rejected, but Jagan and his mother will still have to go to the polls with many namesakes. In all, 32 nominations have been filed.
The Jagan camp says it is clear that this is the Congress's doing to confuse the voter. This time round, there will not be a dedicated symbol for Jagan. This could cause confusion, and hence the voter may cast his or her ballot against the name.
As expected, the Congress calls it a coincidence and nothing else.
In addition, there are also a lot of political undercurrents in Andhra Pradesh. The Congress and the Telegu Desam Party are coming closer to defeat Jagan.
Jagan, however, has stuck to his guns and termed these elections as a battle between Sonia Gandhi and his late father and chief minister, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. He openly says Sonia has backstabbed his father's commitments, and this amounts to cheating the voters who had so much faith in his father.
However, Jagan has decided not to get perturbed by these developments, and says he is confident of a landslide victory -- which will eventually lead to the downfall of the Congress, at least in Andhra Pradesh.
