Dalit, BC voters play decisive role in Kaikaluru

Vijayawada : Kaikaluru Assembly constituency is one of the backward constituencies in the erstwhile Krishna district. The constituency is part of the Eluru Lok Sabha constituency.

The TDP and Congress have strong base here. In 2019 Assembly elections, YSRCP candidate Dulam Nageswara Rao was elected by defeating his nearest rival Jayamangala Venkata Ramana of TDP.

Dulam Nageswara Rao got 82,128 votes and Jayamangala Venkata Ramana got 72,771 votes. After reorganisation of districts, Kaikaluru has been separated from Krishna district and merged with Eluru district.

In 2014 Assembly elections, BJP candidate Dr Kamineni Srinivas won from Kaikaluru constituency. He got 88,092 votes and his nearest rival Uppala Ram Prasad of the YSR Congress Party got 66,521 votes. Dr Kamineni Srinivas worked as the minister for medical and health and family welfare.

Prominent TDP leader in Kaikaluru Jayamangala Venkata Ramana had quit the TDP and joined the YSRCP and became member of the Legislative Council.

Dulam Nageswara Rao is the sitting MLA of YSRCP. Kaikaluru Assembly constituency consists of Kaikaluru, Mudinepalli, Mandavalli and Kalidindi mandals. The primary occupation of people in the constituency is aquaculture and agriculture. Fishermen living in the constituency depend on Kolleru lake which is in two mandals of Kaikaluru and Mandavalli.

Dalit voters constitute the highest number of voters with over 50,000 votes. The total voters are around 2.20 lakh and mostly live in the rural areas. Kapu, Yadava, Gowda, Vaddi and other caste people are in sizeable numbers.

Yerneni Ramachandar of Congress is the prominent leader in Kaikaluru for over two decades and he won in 1999 and 2004.

Kanumuri Bapi Raju is another prominent and popular leader of Kaikaluru constituency. He was elected from Congress party in 1983, 1985 and 1989 and he won as Independent candidate in 1978. He worked as the minister during the Congress regime. In 1994, N Venkata Ramaraju was elected on behalf of the Congress party.

In 1972, Congress leader Manga Tayaramma was elected and C Panduranga Rao was elected as Independent candidate in 1967. Congress leader Kammili Apparao was elected in 1955 and 1962 and another Congress leader AV Subramanyam won in the first Assembly elections held in 1952.