Mullapudi family called the shots for a long time

Rajamahendravaram : Tanuku Assembly constituency in West Godavari district is one of the seven segments of the Narasapuram Lok Sabha constituency. It consists of Tanuku Municipality, Tanuku Rural mandal, Attili and Iragavaram mandals. The number of voters in the constituency is 2,32,126 in 2019 elections.

Tanuku is a large city in terms of population in West Godavari district. It is the textile hub for the twin Godavari districts. There are a considerable number of small-scale spinning mills in this zone.

It is also the birthplace of one of the ancient poets, Adikavi Nannaya. Tanuku municipality was constituted as a second-grade municipality in 1979 and was upgraded to first grade in 2002. In the Tanuku Assembly seat, SC, ST voters constitute about 15 per cent of the total voters. This constituency consists of 70 per cent rural voters and 30 per cent urban voters. It was the Chitturi and Mullapudi families from Kamma community who had been representing the constituency for most of the time.

The famous Andhra Sugars played a vital role in bringing a unique identity to Tanuku town. Mullapudi Harishchandra Prasad had taken up several developmental works in Tanuku. The Andhra Sugars played a key role in manufacturing liquid fuel used by ISRO for rockets. Andhra Sugars, set up in 1947, also has the distinction of being the first industry in AP in post-Independent India.

Mullapudi Harishchandra Prasad was also the founder of the first aspirin factory in the country. He won the 1955 and 1962 elections as MLA from the Congress. After TDP was formed, he became the backbone of the party in the Godavari districts.

Mullapudi Venkata Krishna Rao, who succeeded him, won three terms as MLA from TDP in 1985, 1989, and 1994. Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao won as Congress candidate in 2009 and as YSRCP candidate in 2019. Incidentally, YSRCP’s is the first government to induct Tanuku MLA in the Cabinet. Nageswara Rao is civil supplies minister in Jagan Mohan Reddy Cabinet.

Arimilli Radhakrishna, TDP in-charge, had won from here in 2014. Both YSRCP and TDP-JSP have strong cadres here. The YSRCP has decided to give Eluru MP ticket to Nageswara Rao’s son Sunil in 2024 elections.

For several years, people have been demanding that express trains should be given at least a 2-minute halt at Attili railway station. They are also demanding that problem of Arudala Kodu drain which overflows and submerges eight villages in Attili mandal almost every year be resolved. Farmers want a lift irrigation scheme for agriculture.

The roads and drains in Tanuku constituency are in a very bad condition. Many villages and semi-urban areas face shortage of dumping yards, resulting in poor sanitation and increasing mosquito menace.

People lament that Tanuku shined during Mullapudi Harishchandra Prasad’s time but his successors had not shown any interest in the development of the town.