RAJAHMUNDRY: The forthcoming general elections are posing a challenge to several ministers and sitting MLAs in East Godavari district in the wake of delimitation of Assembly constituencies.
As a result of delimitation, the number of Assembly constituencies came down to 19 from 21. Two Cabinet ministers and eight MLAs are forced to shift to other Assembly segments due to the disappearance of their constituencies.
Prohibition and Excise Minister Jakkampudi Rammohan Rao is contesting from the Rajahmundry rural Assembly constituency as the Kadiyam constituency which he used to represent disappeared in the delimitation.
Small Scale Minister Gollapalli Surya Rao is aspiring for the Amalapuram Assembly constituency (SC) as the Allavaram constituency (SC) which he used to represent disappeared in the delimitation.
The Ramachandrapuram Assembly constituency represented by Social Welfare Minister Pilli Subashchandra Bose has not been effected due to delimitation.
Meanwhile, Congress MLAs Pamula Rajeswari Devi (Nagaram), Dommeti Venkateswarlu (Tallarevu), Anisetti Bullabbayi Reddy (Sampara), Chitturi Ravindra (Burugupudi), Dr Bikkina Krishnarjuna Choudary (Alamur) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Chinnam Babu Ramesh (Yellavaram) are also trying to contest from other constituencies because of the delimitation effect.
The newly-formed Assembly constituencies are Rajahmundry Rural, Rajanagaram, Mandapeta, P Gannavaram, Kakinada Rural and Rampachodavaram.
SC reserved constituencies, including Allavaram, Nagaram and Mummidivaram, were changed as general constituencies and P Gannavaram, Amalapuram and Razole were converted as SC reserved constituencies in delimitation.
Rampachodavaram is an ST constituency in the place of Yellavaram in the agency area.
Though the headquarters of Parliamentary constituencies are intact in the district, there are some additions and deletions in the Assembly constituencies.
Nidadavolu, Kovvur and Gopalapuram Assembly constituencies of the West Godavari district were tagged to the Rajahmundry Parliamentary constituency in addition to Rajahmundry City, Rajahmundry Rural, Rajanagaram and Anaparthi constituencies.
The Kakinada Parliamentary segment has Kakinada City, Kakinada Rural, Prattipadu, Peddapuram, Pithapuram, Tuni and Jaggampeta Assembly constiuencies. The Amalapuram Parliamentary constituency has Assembly segments like Ramachandrapuram, Mandapeta, Kothapeta, Razole, Gannavaram, Amalapuram and Mummidivaram.
The Rampachodavaram Assembly constituency has been tagged to the Araku Parliamentary constituency of the Visakhapatanm district.
The district has a total elecorate of 34,00,437 out of which 16,77091 are men and 17,23,346 women.