Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has announced the names of its candidates for 24 of 25 seats. Party president and Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced the names after paying respects to his late father and former chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district.
While the ruling party had kept the announcement pending for only the Anakapalli Lok Sabha seat, it has made strategic changes, including dropping a majority of the sitting MPs.
Key candidates announced include YSRCP parliamentary party leader V. Vijaya Sai Reddy, who will contest for Lok Sabha from Nellore, and Kesineni Srinivas (Nani), former TDP Lok Sabha member from Vijayawada, who has been nominated by the YSRCP for the same constituency. Additionally, former minister P. Anil Kumar Yadav will contest for the Narasaraopet Lok Sabha seat.
Despite allegations, sitting MP Y. S. Avinash Reddy has been retained from Kadapa, showcasing the party’s confidence in its candidates. The YSRCP has also made changes in Visakhapatnam, naming Botsa Jhansi Laxmi as the candidate in place of sitting MP M. V. V. Satyanarayana.
Here are the names of the candidates announced:
| # | Candidates | Constituencies |
| 1 | Perada Tilak | Srikakulam |
| 2 | Bellana Chandrasekhar | Vizianagaram |
| 3 | Botsa Jhansi Lakshmi | Visakhapatnam |
| 4 | Chetti Tanuja Rani | Araku |
| 5 | Chalamalasetty Sunil | Kakinada |
| 6 | Rapaka Varaprasada Rao | Amalapuram-SC |
| 7 | Guduri Srinivasulu | Rajahmundry |
| 8 | Guduri Uma Bala | Narasapuram |
| 9 | Karumuri Sunil Kumar Yadav | Eluru |
| 10 | Simhadri Chandrasekhar | Machilipatnam |
| 11 | Kesineni Srinivas | Vijayawada |
| 12 | Kilari Venkata Rosaiah | Guntur |
| 13 | P. Anil Anil Kumar Yadav | Narasaraopet |
| 14 | Nandigam Suresh | Bapatla |
| 15 | Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy | Ongole |
| 16 | V. Vijayasai Reddy | Nellore |
| 17 | M. Gurumoorthy | Tirupati |
| 18 | N. Reddappa | Chittoor |
| 19 | P.V. Midhun Reddy | Rajampet |
| 20 | Y.S. Avinash Reddy | Kadapa |
| 21 | B.Y. Ramaiah | Kurnool |
| 22 | Pocha Brahmananda Reddy | Nandyal |
| 23 | J. Santha | Hindupur |
| 24 | M. Sankara Narayana | Anantapur |
YSRCP, which had secured 151 Assembly and 22 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, faces a tough challenge from the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance this time around.
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Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections: Jagan Mohan Reddy Highlights 50% Tickets To Marganalised Communities
In a bid to ensure social justice in ticket distribution, Jagan Mohan Reddy highlighted that 50 per cent of the tickets have been allotted to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Castes, and Minorities. This move has been hailed as a historic development in Andhra Pradesh politics, news agency IANS reported.
For Assembly elections, the YSRCP has allocated tickets to various communities, with a significant increase compared to 2019. Moreover, the party has recognised grassroots leaders by giving them 14 seats, according to IANS.
Andhra Pradesh is slated to go to polls for both Assembly and Lok Sabha seats on May 13.
