Keen contest between YSRCP, TDP on the cards

Tirupati : Will Tourism Minister RK Roja get another chance to contest from Nagari constituency to make a hat-trick win? Though there is severe dissidence from her own party quarters in all five mandals of the constituency, the firebrand Minister still wants to try her luck again.

This time Roja is likely to face tough fight from TDP which is likely to field Gali Bhanu Prakash, son of former minister Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu. During the 2019 elections, Roja defeated Bhanu Prakash by a margin of 2,708 votes while in 2014 his father Muddukrishnama Naidu lost the election by a narrow margin of 858 votes.

Prior to this, she lost the elections from Nagari in 2004 and from Chandragiri in 2009. This constituency is located on AP–Tamil Nadu border and has 2,01,607 voters. Women voters outnumber men voters in this constituency.

Nagari is known for its power loom industry in which more than 15,000 families. Their voter strength is about 45,000. Political stalwarts and former ministers Reddivari Chenga Reddy and Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu represented the constituency in the State Assembly.

Till 2004, Puttur constituency was there which was merged into Nagari after the reorganisation of constituencies. Muddukrishnama Naidu registered victory total six times including five times from the earlier Puttur constituency and once from Nagari after the reorganisation.

He had won on TDP ticket five times and once on Congress ticket. Congress leader Chenga Reddy also won the election five times from Nagari constituency. Another leader Kilari Gopala Naidu of Congress also won two times in 1967 and 1972 and he served as a minister also. While total 13 elections are held so far for Nagari, TDP won three times, Congress party seven times, YSRCP two times and Independent once.

In the run-up for the Assembly elections to be held in March/April, both TDP and YSRCP candidates have been facing dissidence. While TDP’s Bhanu Prakash is facing problems from his own family members, Roja’s candidature is being opposed by some quarters in the constituency.

Recently, a woman councillor in Puttur municipality has made allegations against Roja that she gave Rs 40 lakh out of Rs 70 lakh demanded by the Minister’s brother to give her municipal chairman’s post, but could not get that.

A few ZPTC members also publicly announced that they will not work for the party if Roja is the candidate. AP Youth Congress president P Rakesh Reddy is also expected to be in the fray. In this backdrop, the coming elections will witness a tough and interesting fight between YSRCP and TDP in Nagari.