KADAPA: Among all the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State, Kadapa has a unique distinction of being represented by the members of the same family for three decades. Since 1989, former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s family members have been getting elected from the constituency. For two decades, YSR and his brother represented Kadapa as MPs and later, YSR’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and nephew Avinash Reddy represented Kadapa in Parliament. More or less, results of the Kadapa parliamentary constituency reflect the verdict of the Pulivendula Assembly constituency.
During the last three decades, the TDP, which could represent the Lok Sabha constituency only for one term (1984-89), had been trying to wrest control of Kadapa from the YSR family, but with no success.
This time around, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is determined to win the Lok Sabha constituency and defeat the YSRC, which is headed by YSR’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, at any cost. The TDP has fielded C Adinarayana Reddy as the party candidate for Kadapa Lok Sabha seat against YS Avinash Reddy, cousin of Jagan. It also fielded veterans such as P Rama Subba Reddy for Jammalamadugu and SV Sathish Reddy for Pulivendula Assembly constituencies.
The yellow party’s action plan looks simple - win Jammalamadugu constituency, improve vote base in Pulivendula and other constituencies. Elections for the LS constituency are being seen as a turf war between YSRC and TDP. Both the parties maintain that their focus had been on the development of Kadapa district. Same had been reflected in election speeches of Naidu and Jagan, who, apart from making verbal attacks, were trying to outdo each other in making promises of public welfare, once they become Chief Minister.
In his maiden election in 2009, Jagan Mohan Reddy won the election with 1,78,846 votes defeating his nearest rival Palem Srikanth Reddy and in the 2011 by-elections, he won with a record majority of 5,45,671 votes. In 2014 elections, YSRC candidate - YS Avinash Reddy won with a majority of 1,90,323 votes.
Delay in announcing the names of the candidates for Assembly segments in Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency - Badvel, Kadapa, Pulivendula, Kamalapuram, Jammalamadugu, Proddatur, and Mydukur - and also ignoring veterans in the party, who aspired for tickets to contest from Proddatur, Badvel, Kamalapuram - might prove costly for TDP.
Though Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has tried to smoothen the ruffled feathers, those veteran leaders are not that enthusiastic in striving for party’s victory. On the other hand, the YSRC had already decided on the candidates much earlier and therefore had an advantage in that respect.