MLC Karanam Balaram and Addanki MLA Gottipati Ravi Kumar have been rivals for over three decades. Even now Gottipati has joined TDP, but his rivalry with Karanam is far from over. Now with Chandrababu Naidu getting close to Gottipati, the Karanam is feeling sidelined.
The rivalry between Telugu Desam Party (TDP) senior leader and MLC of Prakasam District Karanam Balaram and Addanki MLA Gottipati Ravi Kumar once again came to the fore at the Party Coordination Committee Meeting held at TDP Camp office on Thursday night.
The rivalry between Karanam Balaram and Gottipati Ravi Kumar has been smouldering for over three decades. In 2014 election, the Yuvajana Sramik Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) candidate Ravi Kumar defeated Karanam Balaram an old guard of the TDP in the constituency.
But in due course, Gottipati had shifted loyalties to the ruling TDP, thanks to Chandrababu Naidu’s unprincipled politics. However, ever since Gottipati joined the party, both the factions are at loggerheads fighting for supremacy over the administration. And in the recent Council elections, Naidu made Karanam MLC, hoping to settle the scores between the two rival groups.
When the issue of the rivalry surfaced once again in Thursday’s camp office meeting, Chandrababu warned Karanam as to why he is still interfering when he was told that Gottipati’s word is final in Addanki Constituency.
He again reiterated the fact stating, ‘I am reminding you once again. Whatever Gottipati says regarding the constituency is final’. This statement shocked the senior TDP leaders.
Gottipati came to TDP maybe a year and half back but Karanam had been in TDP since NTR started it. He continued in the Party irrespective of the party being in power or not. He was also very close to Chandrababu but since Gottipati entered TDP, Chandrababu changed his tune.
