Amadalavalasa once a citadel of TDP

Srikakulam: Amadalavalasa Assembly constituency has always been a citadel of TDP since the party was formed in 1983. Amadalavalasa Assembly constituency was formed in 1978 and Congress candidate, Pydi Srirama Murthy was elected as the first MLA with a margin of 13,375 votes.

As of 2019, there are a total of 1,87,744 electors in the constituency.

After the formation of TDP in 1983, TDP candidate Tammineni Sitaram got elected as MLA for the first time in the anti-Congress wave. Senior leader and Congress candidate Pydi Srirama Murthy lost the elections.

After two years, elections were held in1985 and TDP candidate Tammineni Sitaram, was -elected by defeating Congress nominee Pydi Srirama Murthy. In 1989 Murthy defeated Tammineni Sitaram.

By 1991 Lok Sabha elections, TDP gained its strength and Sitaram bounced back. He won in 1994 and in 1999 elections against Congress candidate Boddepalli Chitti Babu.

In 2004 and 2009 elections, when there was a Congress wave led by YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the party regained its old charm and Boddepalli Satyavathi got elected.

Tammineni Sitaram who lost in 2004 joined Praja Rajyam Party in 2009 but still lost elections since then consistently.

He later joined the YSRCP but lost to Kuna Ravi Kumar of TDP in 2014 elections. The people were angry with Congress for the unscientific bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, which led to its rout.

In 2019 elections, YSRCP swept the polls following the padayatra by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and the dramatic developments that took place at the Visakhapatnam airport and Sitaram who again tried his luck got elected defeating TDP candidate Ravi Kumar.

He wanted to become a minister but his hopes were dashed and he was made Assembly Speaker, which he accepted but never has been very happy with it. So far, the constituency had gone to elections 11 times and the 2024 election will be 12th one. The fight, it appears, would be a bitter one between the TDP-Jana Sena combine and YSRCP in the upcoming elections.