Tuni segment to witnesses four-cornered battle

Kakinada: The Tuni Assembly constituency bordering Visakhapatnam district remained as strong hold for Congress from the beginning to till 1983 and the party was able to regain its hold again in 2009 after 25 years. In 2014 polls, Congress lost and YSRCP candidate won from the seat.

Since the formation of TDP in the year 1982, the constituency had been represented by Yanamala Ramarkrishnudu. He won from TDP ticket for the first time in 1983 and continued the winning streak. He won in 1985 midterm polls, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2004.

In 2009 Congress candidate Sri Raja Vatstavai Veera Venkata Krishnam Raju (SRVV Krishnam Raju) alias Ashok Babu from Kshatriya community defeated Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and won the seat. In 2014, the YSRCP candidate Dadisetti Ramalingeswara Rao alias Raja from Kapu community won from the constituency defeating his nearest TD rival Yanamala Krishnudu, cousin of Ramakrishnudu as the latter did not contest the polls.

In the present polls in 2019, the sitting MLA, Dadisetti Raja of YSRCP is contesting again, the TDP candidate Yanamala Krishnudu from Yadava community is trying his luck again in the second attempt. The JSP fielded one term MLA, Raja Ashok Babu who earlier represented the constituency during 2009- 2014 on behalf of Congress.

Ashok Babu hails from a political family. His close relative M N Vijayalakshmi Devi who also represented Tuni earlier in the Assembly, served as minister in P V Narasimha Rao cabinet in the seventies.

As far as Congress is concerned, Dr Chulukuri Pandu Ranga Rao, a senior medical practitioner from Padmasali social section (BC) is in the fray for the second time. Earlier in 2014, he unsuccessfully contested on behalf of Congress. With just a few days away from the polling date, all the contenting candidates geared up their campaign and appealing voters to vote in their favour.