Can TDP win back its stronghold?

Tirupati: Minorities will decide the fate of candidates in Madanapalle Assembly constituency. Having a vote share of about 30 percent with more than 60,000 voters belong to Muslim and Christian religions.

All the parties have been making efforts to secure their support. Though there will be about half a dozen candidates from registered political parties leaving beside independents, the main fight was expected to be between TDP and YSRCP.

TDP has fielded former MLA Dommalapati Ramesh, who will face political novice Nawaz Basha of YSRCP and brother of former Congress MLA and present Congress MP candidate from Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency Shahjahan Basha.

They have been facing each other in a tight multi cornered contest by employing all their resources and energies.

TDP's Ramesh has earlier contested and won the seat in 2004 and having strong cadre which he expects will tilt the coin in his favour whereas the first timer Nawaz relies mainly on the support extended by veteran leader and YSRCP candidate in Punganur, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, who is having strong support in the constituency. In both TDP and YSRCP, there was intense fight for tickets till the last minute.

Along with D Ramesh, G Ramdass Chowdary and B Naresh Kumar Reddy have stood in the race. However, leaving the fight between the two, Naresh Kumar dropped from the race after he reportedly assured MLC ticket later.

Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu selected former MLA Ramesh which has disappointed Ramdass. According to the news being circulated in social media, his wife G Swathi may enter the fray on Jana Sena ticket.

YSRCP has sidelined the sitting MLA Dr Desai Thippa Reddy by denying ticket to him this time and preferred minority candidate Nawaz Basha. Thippa Reddy was in dilemma now and could not decide his future course of action.

Thus, both the candidates have been facing the brunt of dissent. Though Ramesh won the seat in 2004 defeating Ramdas, who contested as an independent, he was denied ticket in 2009.

In 2014, the seat was given to BJP candidate C Narasimha Reddy as part of poll-alliance, but he lost to YSRCP's Thippa Reddy with a margin of 16,589 votes. In the last eight elections since 1983 after the TDP was formed, it won the seat five times whereas Congress won it twice and YSRCP once.

Between 1952 and 1983, six elections were held in which Congress won four times and CPI twice. Chandrababu has conducted official Iftar party in Madanapalle in 2018 and talked to Muslims.

Both TDP and YSRCP were busy in campaigning and excepting to garner minority votes. Still the fate of the candidates will be decided by the dissidence in rival groups who aspired tickets and on how many votes other party candidates can dent to those two candidates.