Kurnool: Telugu Desam Party on Friday released its third list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. However, the name of Gummanur Jayaram, who defected from YSRCP to TDP, was missing from the list of candidates.

In order to empower the Boya community, chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, had asked the Labour Minister and Alur MLA Jayaram to contest from Kurnool Lok Sabha seat, however, he refused to comply and quit the party. Before joining the TDP, he had told the reporters that the TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu had assured to give him a ticket for Guntakal assembly constituency.

It is reported that Naidu wanted to check the popularity of Jayaram in Guntakal assembly segment before declaring his candidature. As the results of interactive voice response system (IVRS) survey were not favourable to Jayaram, the TDP leadership is reluctant to field him from his preferred assembly seat. As per the reports, the respondents in Guntakal, Gooty and Pamidi towns did not favour Jayaram as their TDP candidate in the upcoming polls.

TDP leader Jithendra Goud is a strong contender for Guntakal assembly seat. TDP politburo member Kalva Srinivas, who is contesting from Raidurg seat, has thrown his full weight behind Goud to avoid the creation of another power centre if Jayaram is declared as a candidate from Guntakal constituency. Jayaram is reportedly desperate to win Guntakal seat and has sent feelers to the TDP leadership that he was ready to spend crores of rupees for it. Reports suggest that Jayaram has been assured of justice if the TDP is voted to power in the May 13 elections in the state.

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