As two chairmen lock horns, who will win the battle at Tirupathi

Tirupathi, Mar 21: Two former chairmen of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) will lock horns in the Tirupati constituency in the April 11 assembly polls in Andhra
Pradesh.

Chadalavada Krishnamurthy, who has been fielded by the Jana Sena, will be pitted against another former TTD Chairman B Karunakara Reddy of YSRCP.

Interestingly, this is the first time two former TTD chairpersons are locked in an electoral battle in the temple town, which will witness a multi-cornered contest also involving sitting TDP MLA M Suguna.

Krishnamurthy, who belongs to a dominant Balija community, quit the Telugu Desam Party led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu last year and later joined actor Pawan

Kalyan's Jana Sena Party. Krishnamurthy had served as chairman of the TTD Board, which administers the cash-rich ancient Lord Venkateswara temple at nearby Tirumala among others in 2015 while Karunakara Reddy held the coveted post in 2006. Krishnamurthy had quit the TDP last year after levelling corruption allegations against Suguna.