Anakapalli, a hot seat for contesting candidates

Anakapalli : At a time when there is a huge scarcity of Lok Sabha candidates in several parts of Andhra Pradesh, Anakapalli parliament paints a picture of contrast.

Close to two candidates from each political party are ready to vie in the parliamentary constituency. From TDP-JSP combine, Chintakayala Vijay, son of former TDP minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu, has expressed his willingness to contest as MP from Anakapalli and submitted an application for the same with the party high command.

In the meantime, a new candidate's name is surfacing among the TDP cadre. In recent days, Byra Dileep Chakravathy’s name is getting circulated in the probable MP candidates’ list. Political circles confirm that the TDP high command has given a nod to Dileep Chakravarthy to contest as MP from Anakapalli.

Earlier, he contested from Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) at Sattenapalli of Guntur district and was able to garner about 25,000 votes back in 2009.

Belonging to the Kapu community, Dileep Chakravarthy has a firm grip over a few areas, including Narsaraopeta, Bandar, Sattenapalli and Chilakaluripeta. While Visakhapatnam is the native of his mother, Guntur is his father’s hometown.

Considering the caste equations wherein the Kapu community dominates in Anakapalli, the possibility of Dileep Chakravarthy contesting from the parliamentary constituency cannot be ruled out. With the support of his family members and relatives, who are present in large numbers in Visakhapatnam, Dileep Chakravarthy has already commenced his election campaign.

However, how far a non-local candidate can squeeze in to compete in the ensuing polls needs to be seen. As there are senior leaders like former minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu reserving the MP seat for his son in Anakapalli, whether the party high command will consider the new candidate by denying the ticket to Ch Vijay turns out to be a big question mark.

When it comes to Jana Sena Party, recently-joined leader Konathala Ramakrishna is preparing to contest as an MP from here. On the other hand, the YSRCP high command has dropped enough hints that it would not be possible for sitting MP B V Satyavathi to contest again in 2024 polls.

However, there is a scope for Satyavathi to contest from Anakapalli in case if JSP candidate Konathala Ramakrishna is selected as TDP-JSP combine candidate.

But if TDP allots ticket to Dileep Chakravarthy, IT minister and Anakapalli MLA Gudivada Amarnath is likely to contest from Anakapalli. Apparently, based on the caste equations and selection of other party candidates, the YSRCP is moving cautiously in selecting its candidate for the Lok Sabha.