Tirupati: Bhanu may deny a hat-trick for YSRCP’s Roja

Tirupati : During the 2024 general elections, the Nagari constituency in Chittoor district captured the attention of political observers and residents across the state as incumbent MLA and minister, R K Roja aimed for a third consecutive victory. Known for her outspoken criticism of the TDP and its leader N Chandrababu Naidu, the firebrand minister was confident about securing another win. However, dissidents within her own party have posed an unexpected challenge to the sitting MLA.

After casting her vote, Roja remarked that her primary threat did not come from the TDP but from those within her own party, the YSRCP, who supported the opposition. She criticised these dissidents, accusing them of betraying both her and the party despite holding positions given to them by the YSRCP. She specifically named individuals who, according to her, were creating disturbances at polling booths in favour of the TDP. This internal dissidence has clearly become a significant factor in determining her electoral fortunes this time.

Despite asserting that Jagan Mohan Reddy’s welfare initiatives and effective governance would secure him a second term as Chief Minister and her own third victory in Nagari, Roja faced intense opposition.

Apart from the TDP, the YSRCP dissidents campaigned strongly against her, citing allegations of land grabbing, extortion from real estate developers and involvement in sand and gravel exports.

In contrast, Bhanu Prakash, the TDP candidate, has maintained a clean image, having not held any positions to date. It is noted that his brother Jagadeesh, who opposed him in the 2019 elections, did not engage in a negative campaign against Bhanu this time. Additionally, approximately 70 percent of the dominant Mudaliyar community’s anti-government stance might have benefited the TDP candidate.

Considering these factors, TDP appears to be in a strong position in the post-poll scenario, potentially enabling Bhanu Prakash to shatter Roja’s hat-trick dreams and secure a seat in the Assembly. While various pro-YSRCP and pro-TDP surveys have become viral on the social media platforms, it was surprising that no survey is predicting her win in Nagari. Meanwhile, this time the constituency reported an 87.08 percent turnout with 176399 voters including 86078 males, 90316 females and five others casted their votes.

Notably, Roja has won with slender margins in the last two elections. In 2019, she defeated Bhanu by 2708 votes while in 2014, she won against his father and senior leader Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu by 858 votes.

Even the previous election results indicate lesser margins for the winning candidates. Given the historically narrow margins and the intense competition between the YSRCP and TDP candidates, it is likely that the winner will be decided by a small margin once again.