NELLORE: Going by the political situation and results of the recently-held local body elections in the State, the YSRC has a clear edge in the April 17 Tirupati by-election. However, unfazed by the debacle in the local elections, the TDP has been putting all-out efforts to win the seat. Party candidate Panabaka Lakshmi, a former Union minister, has already kick-started her campaign in the constituency, which is facing its first by-election in history.
The TDP has deputed over 170 members as incharges and co-ordinators in the Lok Sabha constituency. The party has constituted a five-member-committee of senior leaders — Nara Lokesh, K Atchannaidu, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, Beeda Ravichandra Yadav and Panabaka Krishnaiah — to oversee the campaign. It also appointed 17 observers in all seven assembly segments in Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency and 10 as cluster in-charges for each constituency and two in-charges for each mandal.
Panabaka Lakshmi will campaign in the Sullurpeta segment on March 28, Gudur on March 29, Venkatagiri on March 30, Sarvepalli on March 31 and Srikalahasthi on April 1. In the 2019 general elections, the YSRC won all the four assembly segments in Nellore district and three in Chittoor district under the Tirupati parliamentary segment.
The TDP, which lost the seat with a “slight share of votes”, has been trying to focus on both urban and rural areas for getting maximum number of votes. “The TDP lost the Lok sabha seat with less vote share in the 1996, 1999, 2009 and 2014 elections. The party has a strong cadre base in the rural areas in seven assembly segments in the Parliamentary constituency. We have been trying to increase the party’s vote share and we hope Panabaka Lakshmi’s long experience will also help her go past the YSRC’s new face,” said a senior TDP leader.