Triangular fight on the cards

Rajamahendravaram: Two political novices and a former MLA are in the fray for the Rajamahendravaram Parliamentary constituency this time. All of them are confident that they will emerge victorious.

While Maganti Roopa, daughter-in-law sitting TDP MP Maganti Murali Mohan is contesting as TDP candidate, YSRCP fielded Margani Bharat Ram, son of BC JAC chairman Margani Nageswara Rao while Jana Sena has put up Dr Akula Satyanarayana, sitting BJP MLA, who shifted his loyalty to JSP.

TDP national president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu finalised the name of Roopa after several discussions with sitting MP Murali Mohan and other TDP leaders, setting aside the names of Godavari Urban Development Authority (Guda) chairman Ganni Krishna and Mullapudi Renuka, who aspired the ticket.

The TDP cadres were in confusion till night of March 18 on the allotment of ticket, but finally Roopa was picked by the party. She worked in the constituency for some months and participated in many programmes in the absence of her father-in-law Murali Mohan. TDP ticket was given to her as Murali Mohan expressed his unwillingness to contest again.

Guda chairman Ganni Krishna, who has been in the party from its inception, had tried hard to land the ticket but invain. TDP corporators from the city and party leaders from Rajamahendravaram Urban, Rural, Anaparthi, Rajanagaram and Kovvur Assembly segments met the Chief Minister and appealed to give ticket to Krishna.

In YSRCP, as there was no competition, party allotted ticket to Margani Bharat Ram six months ago who belongs to BC community. Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan also announced Akula Satayanarayana, who belongs to Kapu community, in February itself.

YSRCP candidate Bharat Ram is pinning his hopes on the support of BCs on the ground that a BC was given ticket for the first time in the constituency. JS candidate Akula Satyanarayana, who is also an orthopaedic and a realtor, is using his resources to win in the elections.

TDP candidate Maganti Roopa trying to get votes citing the development activities executed by his father-in-law Murali Mohan and the work of Chandrababu Naidu. The constituency came into existence in 1952 and elections were held 16 times, in which Congress won nine times, CPI, Socialist and Congress (I) won one time each, TDP and BJP two times.

Rajamahendravaram Urban, Rajamahendravaram Rural, Anaparthi, Rajanagaram in East Godavari district and Kovvur (SC), Gopalapuram (SC) and Nidadavolu Assembly segments of West Godavari district falls under the parliamentary constituency.

In 1952 elections CPI candidate was elected, in 1957, 1962 and 1967 elections Congress candidate DS Raju was elected, in 1971, 1977 and 1980 elections Congress candidate SBPP Rama Rao was elected, in 1984 elections Congress (I) candidate Chundru Srihari Rao was elected, in 1989 election Congress candidate cine heroine Jamuna was elected, in 1991 election TDP candidate KVR Choudary was elected, in 1996 election Congress candidate Chitturi Ravindra, in 1998 elections Girajala Venkata Swamy Naidu, in 1999 elections SBPBK Satyanarayana Rao was elected in 2004 and 2009 elections Vundavalli Arun Kumar and in 2014 elections Maganti Murali Mohan were elected.