Andhra polls: Why Roja's detractors call her 'Chandramukhi of Nagari'

Recently, several YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders from five mandals of the Nagari Assembly constituency left the party, accusing Roja of nepotism and corruption. These leaders include Srisailam Devasthanam Trust Board chairman Reddyvari Chakrapani Reddy, a key leader not only in the Nindra Mandal but also in the constituency; Vadamalapet ZPTC (Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency) member Muralidhar Reddy, MPTC (Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies) members Bhaskar Reddy and Lakshmipathi Raju, six sarpanches and former DCCB directors.

The rebel leaders said Roja neglected them while giving plum posts to her family members and those who followed in her footsteps in switching from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to the YSRCP. Some of these leaders have also announced their plans to join the TDP.

Bitter fights, desertions

The fight between Roja and the rebel leaders has been underway for over a year. While she and her supporters were on one side, on the other were the leaders of the five mandals and a few public representatives. While Muralidhar Reddy was among the few who directly criticised Roja, the latter got him suspended in a warning against dissidence for other rebels.

However, the move boomeranged on Roja when rebel leaders with substantial clout joined forces and called a press meet to announce their resignation from the party.

The resignations also came barely a fortnight after the last sarpanch of Puttur Panchayat Board, and the municipal chairman along with two other key leaders joined the TDP.

‘Blackmailed Jagan for ticket’

Chakrapani Reddy has accused Roja, her husband RK Selvamani, and brothers Kumaraswamy Reddy and Ramprasad Reddy of corruption and extortion in Nagari constituency.

“YSRCP leaders were ignored after Roja won as MLA in the city," he said.

He alleged that even though the survey conducted by the party indicated that Roja would lose the elections, she managed to clinch a ticket by blackmailing Jagan.

Accusing Roja of robbing the people of Nagari for 10 years by entrusting the responsibility of each mandal to her family members, the rebel leaders have said that she started making unilateral decisions after her win in the 2019 elections.

Flex hoarding row

In December 2021, Roja courted a massive controversy when it was alleged that she was responsible for the vandalism of flex banners in her constituency to celebrate Chief Minister Jagan’s birthday.

The banners were installed by YSRCP leaders from the five mandals of the constituency. These leaders had accused Roja of instigating TDP workers to disfigure and tear them off.

A voice message purportedly sent by Roja, ordering that no one should go to the celebrations organised by leaders in the said mandals, also went viral.

This episode caused a major embarrassment to the party while alienating Roja further from YSRCP cadres and leaders.

‘Forgetting favours’

Roja has also been accused of ignoring those who stood by her in the 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections after her win. These leaders say, instead of them she recruited TDP turncoats as her aides.

Sources said excessive interference by Roja’s husband and brothers in party affairs not only broke down her communication with other leaders but also alienated her from them.

‘Save Nagari from Chandramukhi’

Roja’s alleged tendency to blow hot and cold has also earned her the sobriquet of ‘Chandramukhi of Nagari’ among her opponents in the party. It alludes to the character of a woman suffering from a split personality disorder, played by actor Jyothika in P Vasu’s psychological comedy horror film Chandramukhi, a remake of Malayalam original Manichitrathazhu. 

“Roja has become a Chandramukhi for the city constituency. We feel that it is our responsibility to protect the people of the constituency from her. In the 2014 and 2019 elections, we worked to get a majority of votes from Vadamalapeta in the entire constituency,” said Muralidhar Reddy.

“Although TDP candidates won in all the mandals of the constituency in the 2014 elections, they have forgotten that I was the only YSRCP candidate who won from Vadamalapeta,” he added, asserting how he, despite his competence, was sidelined by Roja.

Allegations of corruption

Muralidhar Reddy said if Roja is not defeated, there will be “no land left” in the constituency. He said nothing in the constituency was done without taking bribes and ‘commission’ money and corruption has gone out of control. Citing examples, Muralidhar Reddy said, while in Padiredu in the Vadamalapeta mandal, the money meant for farmers were “stolen” in the form of commission, 12 acres of land worth crores were usurped near the Vadamalapet toll by Roja and her associates.

Will the desertions hurt Roja, YSRCP?

While the desertions are anticipated to hurt Roja's poll prospects and dent the party’s image in the poll-bound state, political analysts say they may not affect the performance of YSRCP in other constituencies, as the rebels' grudge is mostly directed at Roja and not at the party.

Roja won the 2014 elections from the Nagari Assembly constituency against TDP's Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu at a margin of 858 votes. Her voting margin shot to 2,708 when she defeated TDP's Gali Bhanu Prakash in the 2019 Assembly polls. 

This article was originally published in The Federal Andhra Pradesh.