Anantapur: Despite numbers, independents unlikely to make an impact

Anantapur : The Anantapur Lok Sabha constituency has 21 candidates in electoral fray, including 18 independents, TDP candidate Ambika Lakshminarayana, YSRCP candidate M Sankara Narayana and Congress nominee Sajjala Mallikarjuna. However, none of the independents is notable enough to have an impact on anybody's electoral prospects.

The Left parties have an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 voters who are supporters and sympathisers and there are hundreds of educated and intellectual families having a leaning towards the Left ideology. So these voters are a boon to Congress MP candidate Sajjala Mallikarjuna and CPI MLA candidate C Jaffer, who enjoy not only the support of Leftists but also sizeable voter support from the minority Muslim population. There are more than 40,000 Muslim voters in the Anantapur Assembly constituency limits. Jaffer is expected to make a dent into the minority votes, himself being a Muslim. This will affect the winning chances of both the TDP and the YSRCP or at least reduce the majority of the victorious candidate.

In Uravakonda Assembly seat, besides TDP candidate is Payyavula Keshav, YSRCP candidate Y Visveshwara Reddy and Congress’s Y Madhusudan Reddy, there are eight independents in the fray. Here too, independents may not make any impact but the Congress candidate's presence may slightly damage YSRCP because of one reason. Congress candidate Madhusudan Reddy happens to be the brother of YSRCP ex-MLA Y Visveshwara Reddy.

In Raptadu constituency, 10 independents are in the fray. Here also there are a couple of independents who can snatch away a couple of thousands of votes but there is a neck and neck fight between YSRCP and TDP. TDP candidate Kalava Srinivas, YSRCP’s Mettu Govinda Reddy and Congress’s Chinappayya and 10 independents are in the fray in Rayadurg. These independents can snatch away about 5,000 votes but it remains to be seen whom they would adversely affect.

In Kalyandurg constituency, 12 independents are in the contest. But they are of no consequence. Maybe a few hundred votes will be cornered by them.

In Tadipatri constituency, 15 independents are on the ballot. Here too they may chip away around 1,500 votes or so.

In Singanamala constituency, there are 11 independents in the contest. But former PCC chief Dr Sailajanath is expected to make a dent into both the TDP and YSRCP votes as this is a reserved constituency for SCs. All contesting candidates are SCs.

Finally, in Guntakal constituency, 11 independents are in the electoral fray. The highest number of candidates in fray are in Tadipatri and the lowest in Uravakonda.