TIRUPATI: The ruling and the opposition parties are trying their best to win the Tirupati Lok Sabha seat in the ensuing by-election, which was necessitated due to the sudden demise of sitting MP B Durga Prasad.
Political pundits forecast a direct contest between ruling YSRC and Telugu Desam Party in the by-election. After the victory in Dubbaka by-election in Telangana, the BJP is eyeing Tirupati seat and preparing its strategy to win the seat.
From 1952 to 2019, Tirupati Parliamentary constituency has gone to polls for as many as 16 times.
The constituency is in SC reserved category. Tirupati Parliamentary constituency extends over Gudur, Sarvepalli, Venkatagiri and Sullurpeta in Nellore district and Srikalahasti, Satyavedu and Tirupati segments in Chittoor district. Sarvepalli, Gudur and Satyavedu are SC reserved Assembly segments.
According to party sources, the YSRC has finalised Dr Gurumuthy, who hails from Chittoor, as candidate. Considered close to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, he is one of the physiotherapists of the Chief Minister’s family.
“The Chief Minister has introduced several welfare schemes for the benefit of the people. The village/ward secretariat system has received a good response. These are enough to help us with the Tirupati seat with a huge majority,” YSRC Tirupati Lok Sabha observer N Ram Kumar Reddy said. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has named his party’s candidate Panabaka Lakshmi before the schedule for the by-election is announced in order to prepare the local cadre for the bypoll.
Recently, Lakshmi and husband Panabaka Krishnaiah met politburo member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy at the latter’s residence and discussed the strategies to win the Tirupati by-election. The fact that the party does not have a single MLA in all seven Assembly segments is not worrying the TDP at all. Party leaders have been organising meetings in order to garner maximum number votes in the coming bypoll.
“People are vexed with the YSRC regime and the Tirupati bypoll would be the stepping stone for the defeat of the ruling party,” TDP candidate Panabaka Lakshmi claimed. After winning the Dubbaka bypoll in Telangana, the BJP is eyeing to emerge as the proverbial white horse and emerge victorious. BJP State president Somu Veerraju held a spate of review meetings with the cadre. “We are sure of repeating the Dubbaka performance in Tirupati. The Centre is providing funds for the development works in AP and the majority of the funds have been released for the development of Tirupati under the Smart City project,” Veerraju said.
Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and State BJP leaders have formed a committee to select the alliance candidate. Recently, Pawan met senior BJP leaders in New Delhi and discussed various issues and strategies to be followed for the victory in the by-election. Sources in the Congress said that former Tirupati MP Chinta Mohan is the party candidate.