YSR Congress party president and leader of opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy seems to have mastered the art of politicking in the last five years.He has learnt the tricks of the trade of wooing various sections of people with attractive announcements.When Jagan was touring Nimmakuru village in Krishna district, the birth place of Telugu Desam Party founder and legendary actor N T Rama Rao, he announced that he would rename Krishna district as N T Rama Rao district, if his party is voted to power in 2019.

Though his announcement became a little controversial, it pushed the TDP into defensive and attracted NTR’s fans and also his family members.On Friday, when Jagan was touring West Godavari district as part of his Praja Sankalpa Yatra, he came up with yet another surprising announcement.He declared that if he becomes the chief minister, he would name West Godavari District as Alluri Sitarama Raju district, after the rebellious freedom fighter who was killed by the British for his armed rebellion.

“The present Naidu government has scant respect for such a great revolutionary. It did not even establish a memorial for him and neglected his birth place. If I am voted to power in 2019, I will name West Godavari as Alluri Sitarama Raju district,” Jagan said.In fact, Alluri does not belong to West Godavari district – he was born in Visakhapatnam and fought with British in Narsipatnam of Visakhapatnam and other agency areas of East Godavari district like Rampachodavaram and Raja Vommangi.

Though he also toured parts of West Godavari district, he was basically from Vizag and East Godavari districts.However, Jagan deliberately made the announcement to name West Godavari after Alluri, apparently to woo the Kshatriya (Raju) community, which is predominant in this district.Already, the Raju community is up in arms against the TDP government for neglecting it. So, Jagan wants to capitalise on their unrest and garner their votes!

BENGALURU: DK Shivakumar, the senior Congress leader in Karnataka, is widely seen to have played a crucial role to block BS Yeddyurappa’s efforts to poach some of his party’s 78 lawmakers.Mr Yeddyurappa appeared to concede the pivotal role that Mr Shivakumar had played when he gave him a backhanded compliment, describing him as a khalnayak, or villain.

Mr Yeddyurappa had to resign as chief minister on Saturday last because the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats in this month’s assembly election, was short of the majority mark of 111.The BJP had allegedly attempted to lure and coerce some lawmakers from the Congress-Janata Dal Secular alliance but Mr Shivakumar sequestered the lawmakers in hotels in Bengaluru and later, Hyderabad.

The Congress-JDS flock intact, it wasn’t much of a problem for Mr Yeddyurappa’s successor to clear the floor test.News agency Press Trust of India said HD Kumaraswamy received 116 votes at Friday’s trust vote. Mr Yeddyurappa’s BJP had walked out of the assembly minutes earlier after its leader’s speech where he predicted that the Congress would regret their choice of chief minister.

When DK Shivakumar sought to object, Speaker Ramesh Kumar told him it was all right.”One man’s food is another man’s poison. You are a hero to some and a villain to others,” Mr Kumar said.”I had to object to this (because) it is my duty. For him I may be a villain…khalnayak… but for my party, I have to do my job,” said the Congress leader, who was believed to have been unhappy about overlooked for the deputy chief minister’s post. That position went to the Congress’s Dalit leader G Parameshwara.

Actor and ex PRP leader Posani Krishna Murali has met YS Jagan Mohan Reddy during his Padayatra in Undi of West Godavari district. Posani’s meeting with Jagan has shocked many since the actor had been stating that he would stay away from politics.

However, on various TV debates and talk shows, Posani said he is supporting Jagan Mohan Reddy openly. On the contrary, he has been lashing out at TDP and Chandrababu Naidu irrespective of the issue.Even during Nandi Awards controversy, Posani made huge cry over the issue and alleged that the awards are biased. Unlike TDP or Janasena, Jagan, who doesn’t have a glamour, is said to be happy with the meeting of Posani.

Meanwhile, Pawan Kalyan, who is in Srikakulam doing his Porata Yatra, has sit for a one-day hunger strike highlighting the issue of Uddanam Kidney disease. Looks like, election atmosphere is alive in Andhra Pradesh with the leaders of all major parties going into public.

Senior Telangana TDP leader and firebrand politburo member Motkupalli Narasimhulu on Friday dared party national president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to take action against him if the latter thinks he has indulged in anti-party activities.

“I will rub my nose on the floor of Naidu’s house if I am at fault,” he said at a press conference at his residence here.Mr Narasimhulu said, “I took blows for Naidu, I have trusted him.”Mr Narasimhulu alleged that Mr Naidu had no respect for the Mala and Madiga communities.He said Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was working for SC categorisation and asked Mr Naidu was not moving on the matter. He said Mr Rao had given a Rajya Sabha seat to the poor.

The TD leader said, “Naidu believed MLA A. Revanth Reddy, but what happened finally?” Believing a “fraudulent person, Naidu has destroyed the party in Telangana state,” he said.An alliance with the Congress was theoretically not possible, and the TD could ally with the TRS, he said.“A situation is being created in the party to force me out of the party,” he said.

When asked if he would be joining the ruling TRS, Narsimhulu said: “Time will decide everything..I still stand by my earlier statement that KCR is our good friend and that TDP should go with TRS or merge with it in Telangana.”“Naidu is not even willing to meet me. I was not even invited to the Mahanadu in the city. Had Naidu given me an appointment, this press conference would not have been held to pour my heart out,” he added.