YSRCP & TDP vie to bag Kovur constituency

Nellore: Comprising five mandals - Vidavaluru, Kodavaluru, Kovuru, Butchi Reddypalem and Indukuru pet - Kovuru Assembly constituency has been the centre for various social movements, like literacy, anti-arrack, podupu lakshmi (SHGs) and power politics.

This constituency gained importance as the great communist leader and one of the founders of Communist Party of India (Marxist) Puchalapalli Sundaraiah hails from here. He was from Alaganipadu village of Vidavaluru mandal.

Kovur is the only constituency in Nellore district, which was represented by communists twice, in 1952 and 1955.

Congress stepped into this constituency with Rebala Dasaratha Rami Reddy from zamindar family from Nellore city and was elected in 1962 elections. From then onwards, Congress has been winning the seat.

Vemureddy Venkureddy was elected in 1967, Pellakuru Ramachandra Reddy in 1972 and 1978, Polamreddy Srinivasulu Reddy in 2004, and Nallapareddy Srinivasulu Reddy in 1989. All of them held higher positions, including some in the State Cabinet.

The formation of Telugu Desam Party by NT Rama Rao in 1983 put an end to the era of Congress party. TDP candidates got elected seven times from here, including by-election in 1992.

This is the only constituency in the district, where by-polls were held in 1992 following the death of Nallapareddy Srinivasulu Reddy and after Nallapareddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy resigned from the Assembly and TDP in 2012.

It can be said that Nallapareddy family is the outsiders as they originally belong to Kota mandal of Gudur constituency. Nallapareddy Srinivasulu Reddy was responsible for designing Somasila Reservoir during the regime of former CM late NT Rama Rao and he was the first TDP MLA, who was elected from Kovur constituency. Srinivasulu Reddy also served as Revenue Minister in NTR Cabinet in 1985.

His son Nallapareddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy represented Kovur constituency four times on TDP ticket. He also served as the Minister for Sugar, Commerce and Export Promotion in TDP national president Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s cabinet in 1999.

With five months left for 2024 AP Assembly elections, the main contestants – YSRCP and TDP – taken it as prestigious to win this seat.