With candidates in fray, stage set for poll battle

Rajamahendravaram: With the main parties finalising their candidates, rival camps are ready for election battle in erstwhile East Godavari district. TDP-JSP-BJP alliance on one side and YSRCP on the other are gearing up to intensify campaign.

Guduri Srinivas, who is MP candidate from the ruling YSRCP for Rajahmundry Lok Sabha, accidentally entered politics from a medical career and completely new to politics. His main rival will be BJP state president Daggubati Purandeswari, contesting as TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance candidate.

In the wake of the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance, some senior leaders in the TDP and BJP have lost chances to contest in polls. However, leadership of respective parties largely succeeded in pacifying them by convincing that it is necessary to make sacrifices for the long-term interests of the parties as well as main objective of defeating tyrannical YSRCP and protecting the future of the state. They are being promised to be taken care of once the alliance government comes to power.

Ruling YSRCP upset many aspirants and sitting MLAs and MPs through its shuffling and changing of candidates. But that is not the case in East Godavari districts. All sitting MLAs have been retained. However, home minister Taneti Vanitha, who is Kovvur MLA, has been transferred to Gopalapuram, and the sitting MLA Talari Venkatarao was shifted to Kovvur. Rajahmundry MP Margani Bharat Ram was allotted Rajahmundry City Assembly ticket as per his wish. Also, the Rajahmundry Rural seat was given to Chelluboina Srinivasa Venugopala Krishna, a minister and sitting MLA of Ramachandrapuram in Konaseema district.

East Godavari district has seven Assembly seats and one Parliament seat. Four Assembly seats for TDP and 2 seats for Jana Sena are finalised. Rajahmundry Parliament seat and Anaparthi Assembly seat have been given to BJP.

Anaparthi, a stronghold for TDP, is now allotted to BJP account. BJP has fielded ex-serviceman Sivarama Krishnam Raju as its candidate for the seat. Even though former MLA and TDP in-charge Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy was announced as the candidate in the first list of TDP, unexpectedly the seat was given to BJP two days ago, triggering strong protests from TDP leaders and cadre.

TDP has announced its candidates from Rajamahendravaram City, Rajamahendravaram Rural, Gopalapuram, and Kovvur seats while Jana Sena has announced candidates for Nidadavolu and Rajanagaram. The TDP leadership has fielded Adireddy Srinivas as Rajahmundry City candidate, sitting MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary as Rajahmundry Rural candidate, Maddipati Venkataraju as Gopalapuram candidate and Muppidi Venkateswara Rao as Kovvur candidate. Jana Sena announced Battula Balarama Krishna for Rajanagaram and Kandula Durgesh for Nidadavolu as its candidates.

YSRCP has fielded sitting MLA Satthi Suryanarayana Reddy from Anaparthi, Jakkampudi Rajani from Rajanagaram, and G. Srinivasa Naidu from Nidadavolu.

YSRCP Rajahmundry MP candidate Guduri Srinivas is contesting the election for the first time. Rajahmundry City TDP candidate Adireddy Srinivas, YSRCP candidate Margani Bharat Ram, Anaparthi BJP candidate Siva Krishnam Raju, Rajanagaram Jana Sena candidate Bathula Balarama Krishna are contesting for Assembly for the first time.