Kammas, Kapus dominate political scenario

Rajamahendravaram: Rajanagaram Assembly constituency falls under Rajahmundry Lok Sabha Constituency in East Godavari district. Earlier, two constituencies, Burugupudi and Kadiyam, were cancelled in delimitation exercise and a new Rajanagaram constituency was formed. This constituency is set up by adding Seetanagaram and Korukonda mandals from the Burugupudi constituency and Rajanagaram mandal from the Kadiyam.

As of 2019, the constituency has a total of 2,01,201 voters. While most of the voters are agriculturists, there are also a large number of petty traders who do daily business and sell fruits and nuts on bicycles.

Though Kamma and Kapu castes have political dominance, Shettibalija-Gowda and other BC castes as well SC castes have also sizeable presence.

Various prominent institutions which are the pillars of the development of Rajahmundry come under the jurisdiction of the Rajanagaram constituency. Rajahmundry Airport is located at Madhurapudi in Korukonda mandal.

Adikavi Nannaya University is also located within Rajanagaram. Various engineering colleges and medical institutes were established in this constituency. Pushkara, Venkatanagaram, Purushottapatnam, Thorrigadda, Chagalnadu lift irrigation and water schemes and Polavaram canal have also important for Rajanagaram constituency.

About 40 km of National Highway, Kakinada sea port to Rajahmundry Air Port ADB Road are also part in the Rajanagaram constituency which contributes to the living standards and development of the people of this constituency.

Hundreds of real estate companies are laying ventures mainly in Rajanagaram and Korukonda mandals, raising the land prices to crores from lakhs. Orchards are also grown in thousands of acres in this constituency.

In 2009, TDP candidate Pendurthi Venkatesh won as MLA in the first election to this constituency. Former MP Chitturi Ravindra contested as Congress candidate and Mutyala Srinivas as Praja Rajyam Party candidate. TDP candidate Venkatesh won in 2014 as well.

Meanwhile, Jakkampudi Vijayalakshmi contested as YSRCP candidate and lost.

In the last election in 2019, YSRCP candidate Jakkampudi Raja won as MLA from here. Raja won against TDP candidate Pendurthi Venkatesh by a margin of 31,772 votes receiving 51.29 per cent votes as against 32 per cent by TDP nominee while Jana Sena candidate Rayapareddy Prasad (Chinna) got 11.79 per cent votes.

Congress and BJP got fewer votes than NOTA. In the 2024 elections, Rajanagaram was one of the important seats where the TDP-Jana Sena alliance has a major presence. Pendurthi Venkatesh, who won as MLA twice, and Anantha Venkataramana, son of Boddu Bhaskararama Rao, who served as vice-president of the Planning Board in TDP, are hoping for this seat. Jana Sena also has a strong leadership in this constituency. JSP leaders claim that Rajanagaram will be allotted to them as part of the alliance.

The YSRCP is confident that sitting MLA Jakkampudi Raja, who has been the chairman of Kapu Corporation for a year and is currently the district president of YSRCP, is once again going to be the candidate. It seems that if a Jana Sena candidate contests against Raja, the Kapu leader will have a chance, but if the TDP candidate is the contestant, then the candidate is likely to be a Kamma.