Jaleel Khan is a great survivor. If TDP declines ticket, he hops into the YSRCP and if YSRCP denies him a place, he comes back to the TDP. He somehow manages to win and go on to become an MLA. But this time around, he has a real problem on hand. He has nowhere to go if the TDP refuses him a ticket. And indications are that he may not get a party ticket next time.
This is because Kesineni Nani, the Vijayawada MP, is eyeing Vijayawada West assembly segment for his daughter Shwetha. She has already begun working in the constituency and is preparing for 2024. Now Kesineni is without doubt a very strong politician in Vijayawada and was one among the three TDP leaders who swam against the tide and won as MPs in 2024 elections. Resource rich Kesineni is virtually running the show for the party in Vijayawada and Chandrababu would find it very difficult to refuse a ticket to Jaleel Khan.
In the recent municipal elections, Kesineni announced his daughter as the Mayoral candidate without even bothering to consult anyone in the party. The party had to simply agree to his announcement and go ahead. It is another matter that the TDP could not win enough seats in Vijayawada corporation elections.
With such powerful politician pushing his daughter’s case Jaleel Khan has nowhere to go. He is not welcome into the YSRCP, which has a sitting MLA, who is a powerful minister in Jagan’s cabinet. He cannot go to Congress, which is dead as a Dodo in AP. The other alternative is of course the BJP. But, will his own community vote for him if he joins the BJP?
