ANANTAPUR: Senior Congress leader and Panchayat Raj Minister JC Diwakar Reddy had already created a record of sorts by winning for the fifth time from Tadipatri in 2004. His main political rival, TDP’s P Nagi Reddy, also created a record by getting defeated by Diwakar Reddy for three times. In the present election, too, Diwakar Reddy and Nagi Reddy are contesting against each other.
Former TDP leader Paila Ramasimhaiah is contesting on PRP ticket.
Diwakar Reddy’s father JC Nagi Reddy was a close aide to former president Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. Diwakar Reddy started his political innings as director of the District Cooperative Central Bank and later became its president.
He was also Tadipatri samiti president in 1982. In 1983, he contested for the Assembly as an independent candidate from Tadipatri and lost. In 1985 he won on Congress ticket and has not looked back ever since.
Tadipatri became an Assembly constituency in 1952. For four terms Chlla Subba Rayudu represented it having won in 1952, 1957, 1967 and in 1972.
Rayudu won three times on Congress ticket and once on Praja Party ticket.
Others who won from Tadipatri are C Kulasekhara Reddy as an independent in 1962 and TDP’s M Kesava Reddy in 1983.
Diwakar Reddy has always won with a thin majority. In 1985 he won with a margin of 1,200 votes and the margin in the elections till 2004 varied from about 3,000 to 5,000. In 2004, he won by 7,000 votes.
Of the 1,98,686 total electorate, men number 98,924 and women 99,762.