Tirupati: Sitting MLA has edge over novice from TDP

Tirupati : Thamballapalle constituency in the erstwhile Chittoor district and now part of Annamayya district had seen an intense poll battle between the sitting YSRCP MLA Peddireddi Dwarakanath Reddy and a first time candidate of TDP D Jayachandra Reddy. After the polling, there was a general perception in the constituency that the YSRCP candidate has a clear edge over his TDP opponent and is set to taste his second victory.

Voter turnout in the constituency was recorded at 80.31 per cent as 186894 voters out of the total electorate of 2,24,802 exercised their franchise on May 13. This turnout, however, marked a decrease of 4.02 per cent from the 2019 figure of 84.33 per cent. The two main parties have been analysing the poll percentages by taking into booth-wise voting patterns to gauge their prospects.

Opinions from various quarters indicate that YSRCP’s potential victory is not solely due to its strengths but also due to the shortcomings of the TDP. Several TDP members admitted to lapses in critical poll management, which significantly impacted their campaign. Issues include improper appointment of booth agents and lack of support from key party figures.

Notably, former MLAs and strong contenders for TDP ticket G Shankar Yadav and A Praveen Kumar Reddy and other hopefuls reportedly did not cooperate with the TDP candidate at any stage leaving him to fight the battle alone.

Being the first timer for the election, he had a Herculean task of facing the incumbent MLA and the collective fight of that party. Adding to his woes, the TDP’s ally, Jana Sena, failed to make a significant impact in the region.

These factors hindered TDP’s ability to leverage anti-incumbency sentiments against the ruling party and the incumbent MLA, Dwarakanath Reddy.

Despite widespread dissatisfaction with the MLA over the lack of development in the past five years, effective election strategies by the YSRCP seem to have swayed voter opinion in the final days before polling.

As a result, Dwarakanath Reddy is expected to secure victory on June 4, albeit with a narrower margin compared to his 2019 lead of 46,938 votes over TDP’s Shankar Yadav.

Historically, the TDP has won the Thamballapalle seat four times since its inception in 1983, with victories in 1983, 1994, 2009, and 2014. The YSRCP won the seat in 2019, having lost it in 2014.