BC, Kapu votes to decide winner in Kakinada Rural seat

Kakinada: The Kakinada Rural Assembly constituency attains significance as it is speared over urban and rural areas with mixed culture. With a total of 2.29 lakh voters, the constituency covers six municipal divisions in Kakinada, Kakinada rural and Karapa mandals in East Godavari. The constituency has 1,15,596 male and 1,13,977 female voters and 22 third gender voters.

Of the three, Kakinada rural mandal attains significance as several major, medium and small-scale industries located in the area. Besides this industrial activity, shipping trade and the two ports Kakinada deep water port and anchorage port falls under this area. The industrial activity provides more than 20,000 direct and indirect employment for skilled and unskilled work force.

This is in addition to a large number of employment in shipping and industrial activity. The third mandal in the constituency Karapa is known for agriculture, aquaculture besides coconut plantation.The constituency is likely to witness four-corned contest with major contenders the TDP, YSRC, Jana Sena and the BJP.

Among the contenders, the TDP candidate Pilli Anantalakshmi, the sitting MLA is in the fray for the third term. Earlier, she served as Sampara MLA in the 1999 before reorganisation of assembly constituencies. She was reelected in 2014 from Kakinada Rural constituency from which she is seeking reelection for the third term.

Anantalakshmi is hopeful of hattrick as the TDP has taken up several welfare schemes in the last five years. The YSRC candidate Kurasala Kannababu is in the fray for the second term. Earlier he represented the constituency on behalf of Praja Rajyam Party from 2009–2014 A former journalist of a vernacular daily, Kannababu is hopeful of the developmental activities taken up during his earlier tenure and the Navaratnalu, welfare schemes of YSRCP, would turn advantageous for him.

JSP candidate Pantam Venkateswara Rao alias Nanaji is in the fray for the first time. Nanaji was earlier worked with the Congress in various capacities in the last two decades. "The charisma and ideology of Pawan Kalyan will fetch me votes," he hoped. The BJP candidate Kavikondala Bhima Sekher, a first timer pins his hopes on the Brahmin community voters in the constituency besides the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.