Tirupati: Punganur to witness intense poll battle

Tirupati : The stage is set for a fierce political clash between the ruling YSR Congress (YSRC) and the coalition of TDP, JSP and BJP in Punganur Assembly constituency in Chittoor district. The poll battle is taking interesting turns in terms of challenges from both the parties with slogans and counter slogans.

After Kuppam from where TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu will be contesting for the eighth time, Punagnur is considered as a key constituency as Naidu’s arch rival and minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy who is considered as a political heavy weight is seeking his fourth consecutive term from here though he won three times also from neighbouring Piler constituency before the delimitation of constituencies taking the tally to total six wins.

TDP though not announced its candidate officially, has given enough indications to party senior leader Challa Ramachandra Reddy aka Challa Babu’s candidature. He has been involved in a hectic campaign and the TDP camp is upbeat with the additional support of JSP and BJP with which they can defeat Ramachandra Reddy.

This poll battle is taking interesting turns in terms of challenges from both the parties. Echoing Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s slogan of 'Why not 175,' Ramachandra Reddy, harbouring ambitions of toppling Chandrababu Naidu in Kuppam through KRJ Bharath, coined another slogan, 'Why not Kuppam.' In response, Naidu ignited his cadre with another slogan, 'Why not Punganur,' urging them to rise to the challenge.

To take the campaigning to next level with strong determination of winning the seat beyond any doubts, it was learnt that Naidu has made a huge offer to Challa Babu which causes much interest.

It is said that Challa Babu, a former member of TTD trust board, has been offered TTD board chairman post if he defeats Ramachandra Reddy and TDP comes to power. In such a scenario, if not TTD chairman post, even the Cabinet berth is luring him. Significantly, CM Jagan has also assured Bharath in Kuppam that he will be made minister if emerged victorious against Chandrababu.

A confident Challa Babu has been riding from the negative points of Ramachandra Reddy which he has been propagating in his meeting with the people. Notable among them are a dairy owned by minister’s family with which the milk farmers have adversely affected. Similarly, mango growers and sugarcane farmers have become the sufferers as they were forced to sell their produce to middlemen belonging to Ramachandra Reddy’s group.

Further, Challa Babu has been relying heavily on the anti-incumbency factor against Ramachandra Reddy citing various unresolved local problems. It has to be seen in the coming days, how the two parties dominate each other in securing the people’s support in favour of them.