BJP wins Uttarandhra; TDP loses Rayalaseema

​Vijayawada: The divergent outcome of elections for five MLC polls for teachers and graduates’ constituencies in Rayalaseema plus two coastal districts of Nellore and Prakasam and Uttarandhra region provides feed for analysts to brood over. The results in Rayalaseema area, which saw the TDP’s rout in all the four seats, highlighted the belligerent mood of the educated middle class against the ‘lopsided’ policies of the government during the close-to-three years of its ruling.

In Uttarandhra, another backward region in the state, it’s a picture of contrast with the victory of BJP candidate PVN Madhu over the PDF candidate Aja Sarma in the graduates’ constituency with the support of the TDP.

When the people’s resentment over the growing regional imbalances in development turned against TDP in Rayalaseema region, its ally remains unaffected in Uttarandhra for a variety of reasons. Does the outcome of the MLC polls for teachers and graduates’ constituencies in the backward Rayalaseema region reflect the aggressive mood of the educated sections over the model of development capital in Amaravati?

The rout faced by the TDP in all the four seats comprising teacher and graduate voters in the west and east Rayalaseema region seemingly indicates the hostile mood of the middle class. The TDP lost its sitting seat in teachers’ constituency represented by Baththula Pullaiah to the Progressive Democratic Candidate (PDF) Kathi Narasimha Reddy in Rayalaseema west constituency.

Besides, PDF sitting candidate in graduates’ constituency in the same area M Geyananda got relegated to the third position when the YSRCP candidate Vennela Gopala Reddy was leading by 12,677 votes over his TDP rival KJ Reddy after sixth round of counting. He is only the candidate fielded by the YSRCP in all the five MLC seats which went to the polls and Uttarandhra regions, as per the trends available till Tuesday evening.

His probable winning serves as a sign of the fact that the YSRCP is not edged out from the political landscape but still a force to reckon with.

Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana’s personal election management failed to save the TDP candidates in teachers and graduates constituencies-Vasudeva Naidu and Patthabhi Reddy-- from the humiliating defeat at the hands of the PDF candidates V Balasubramanyam and Y Srinivasulu Reddy in East Rayalaseema segment.

Singamaneni Narayana, a short-story writer and political observer from Kadapa district told The Hans India that the election clearly reflected the anti-government mood of Rayalaseema people. People are averse to the skewed development vision of the government resulting in an increasing army of jobless youths and backwardness of the region due to the failure of a slew of irrigation projects to become a reality and poor industrial progress. He cited a movement launched by a section of people for a steel plant in Kadapa which is expected to create 10,000 jobs in a bid to support his argument.

Ravindranath, an advocate from Anantapur district said crime rate is shooting up in the region as a sequel to increasing unemployment and poverty. It is observed that the jobless people turned to crime, leading to a spurt in property offences and house burglaries in different parts of the Rayalaseema region. Kalkura Chandrasekhar, a social activist from Kurnool, said feeling of alienation in people of Rayalaseema region is growing day by day due to the lopsided policies which allegedly favour the coastal region in the fields of education, industry and irrigation.

A proposal was propelled by people from Kurnool district to establish Agriculture University at Thangadancha under Nandikotkur mandal. But the university went to Guntur district and 1, 500 acres of land identified for the university was allotted for a food park which is nothing but a clear case of bias against Rayalaseema region, he said.

S Sivashankar, a spokesman of the Uttarandhra Development Forum, said the council election in the region was dominated by urban voters with migrant background that helped BJP win the seat. Besides, the regional backwardness failed to influence the election process to a larger extent due to the government’s efforts to showcase Visakhapatnam a development model, he added.