SRIKAKULAM: In a bid to dethrone the ruling YSRC, the TDP in an alliance with the Jana Sena Party and the BJP has chosen to encourage new faces in Srikakulam district. For the first time since the party’s emergence, the TDP high command has denied tickets to party seniors, especially those who have a long political legacy.
The alliance has chosen N Eswara Rao for Etcherla, Gondu Shankar for Srikakulam and M Govindha Rao for Pathapatnam Assembly segments, instead of opting for political bigwigs like Kimidi Kalavenkata Rao, Gunda Lakshmi Devi and Kalamata Venkataramana.
Interestingly, the YSRC has been facing severe dissidence from second rung leaders for renominating sitting MLAs in the region.
The landscape of Srikakulam, one of the most backward districts in the nation, has seen several political families belonging to both ruling and opposition parties. Kinjarapu, Dharmana, Kimidi, Gunda, Kalamata, Gowthu, and Boddepalli families have controlled politics in Srikakulam for the past five decades.
Kimidi Kalavenkata Rao, a Kapu leader, is a five-time MLA, former Rajya Sabha MP and TTD chairman. His younger brother Kimidi Ganapathi Rao was also elected as an MLA, while his wife Mrunalini served as a minister and ZP chairperson.
Kalavenkata Rao won the Etcherla Assembly segment in 2014 and even served as energy minister. However, he unsuccessfully contested the 2019 elections.
With Etcherla being allotted to the BJP as part of the alliance, the saffron party nominated N Eswara Rao, who forayed into politics with the support of Kalavenkata Rao.
Initially, he had joined in the TDP and was appointed as housing board director with the support of Kalavenkata Rao. Known for his social service, Eswara Rao played a crucial role in the victory of his mother Mahalakshmi and wife Rajani as the sarpanch of his native village Bantupalli. He joined the BJP after the 2019 elections and was appointed as convener for Etcherla Assembly segment and president for Vizianagaram district.
Gunda Appala Suryanarayana, who hails from Velama community, was a four-time Srikakulam MLA from 1983 to 1999. He also served as a minister in NT Rama Rao’s cabinet for a short while. He lost the 2004 and 2009 elections against Dharmana Prasada Rao. Following this, the TDP high command fielded his wife Gunda Lakshmi Devi in 2014 and 2019. While she won in 2014, she was defeated by Dharmana Prasada Rao in 2019.
In line with its strategy to rope in political novices, the TDP has nominated Gondu Sankar, the sarpanch of Krishnappa Peta under Srikakulam mandal and is known for his social service in the segment.
Similarly in Pathapatnam, the yellow party has fielded Mamidi Govindha Rao instead of Kalamata Venkataramana, who is the son of Kapu leader Kalamata Mohan Rao, a four-time MLA from the segment.
Venkataramana had unsuccessfully contested the 2009 elections and later joined the YSRC before the 2014 elections. He won the 2014 elections on a YSRC ticket and joined the TDP in 2016. YSRC candidate Reddi Shanthi defeated him in 2019.
Govindha Rao is known for his role in the victory of his mother and wife as sarpanch and social service.
Expressing surprise over the party high command’s decision of not choosing seniors, a TDP leader from Srikakulam said, “We should take the development optimistically as the party is trying to put an end to family politics by encouraging the youth. At the same time, young leaders should work hard under the guidance of the seniors.”
‘TDP should pacify miffed leaders’
Stating that the YSRC has been facing strong internal dissidence in three Assembly segments in Srikakulam for renominating the sitting MLAs, a senior TDP leader said the party leadership should persuade the miffed leaders to ensure it wins big in the region