Palle turns a star campaigner for daughter-in-law in Puttaparthi
Senior TDP leader Palle Raghunatha Reddy and his family members being received with village honours at Kothacheruvu village
Puttaparthi : VeteranTDP leader and former MLA Palle Raghunath Reddy is the star campaigner for his daughter-in-law Palle Sindhura, contesting as TDP candidate for Puttaparthi Assembly constituency.
Her being new to politics has taken the wind out of the sails for the rival YSRCP candidate Duddukunta Sridhar, the sitting MLA of the constituency, while Sindhura has the advantage of overriding her opponent by questioning him on his alleged non-performance and misdeeds.
The young and simplistic Sindhura, a post-graduate and daughter-in-law of Raghunath Reddy, chairman of Balajee education group, noted Chemistry lecturer of yesteryears and senior politician who is widely respected among all sections of the society, enjoys the backing of the multi-faceted personality, her father-in-law.
Supposedly tutored well by her father-in-law and her husband Palle Venkata Krishna Reddy, Sindhura overcame her shyness and nervousness in no time and is able to take on her rivals with facts and figures.
She is promising to prioritise drinking water to all citizens, setting up industries to generate employment and extend skill development initiatives to unskilled youth, if elected to power along with the party. She is confident of the alliance parties storming to power under the leadership of TDP.
Speaking to 'The Hans India', Sindhura said that the party is riding on the crest of a popular wave in favour of the double engine government of the NDA in the state.
A new enthusiasm is evident among the people and one can sense newness in the air. Locally, she is being welcomed with affection in door-to-door campaigns. Her father-in-law Raghunatha Reddy is making an impassioned plea to elect Sindhura as the daughter of the land. Sindhura says that she could sense the people's love and affection for her father-in-law which is now transferred to her.
“The patronage of people for Palle Raghunath Reddy for over 27 years will fetch me victory in the hustings. If elected to power, my priorities will be to work for bringing Kia allied ancillary industries for generating jobs, job-oriented industries for women exclusively, establishment of IT industries and bringing HNSS water to fill 193 village tanks in the district,” she explained.
Palle Venkata Krishna Kishore Reddy, husband of Sindhura is also promising to work for Puttaparthi development using the expertise he enjoys as a technocrat in USA for 15 years. He would work for industrial development of the constituency. He expressed the hope that NDA government would be installed at the Centre and in AP state. He called upon the people to vote for the NDA government both at the Centre and in the state.
Puttaparthi constituency was formed in 2008 and has a voter strength of 1,99,675 spread over the mandals of Nallamada, Bukkapatnam, Kothacheruvu, Obuladevacheruvu, Amadagur and Puttaparthi
Noted educationist and owner of group of colleges and institutions Palle Raghunath Reddy is known well in the undivided Anantapur district as an educationist of par excellence. He founded several engineering and arts and science colleges and has been in politics since the birth of TDP. Palle is well known as a three-time MLA, one-time MLC and two-time chief whip and one-time minister.
He was elected MLA for the first time in 1999 from Nallamada constituency in the undivided Anantapur district. Subsequently he was made MLC in 2007. In 2009, he was elected as MLA of Puttaparthi constituency. He won over his Congress rival K Mohana Reddy by a majority of 1,021 votes.
He was elected MLA in 2014 once again on behalf of TDP. He won against the YSRCP candidate Somasekhara Reddy by a margin of 7,000 odd votes. In 2019 Assembly elections, Raghunath Reddy lost to YSRCP candidate D Sridhar Reddy by 31,255 votes.
BC voters constitute 60 per cent of the total number in the constituency. Caste-wise, Reddys are 4,000, SC 27,500, Boyas 20,000, Vadderas 19,000, Balijas 18,500, Jurubas 7,500, ST 18,000, Muslims 18,250 and Kammas are 9,000.
The defeat of YSRCP in 2024 elections is a foregone conclusion as the TDP believes that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's performance has been very poor when compared to all the past elected governments.