VIZIANAGARAM: The political atmosphere in Cheepurupalli has heated up as the two senior leaders, Botcha Satyanarayana and Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao, belonging to the same community (Turpu Kapu), are competing with each other in the ensuing elections. While, Botcha served as a PCC president in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, Lok Sabha MP, and minister for nearly 15 years. Whereas, Kala Venkata Rao served as TDP State president after bifurcation, Rajya Sabha MP, TTD Chairman, and minister for nearly 10 years.
It is to be noted that Turpu Kapu, with more than 70% population, has been the dominant community in the Cheepurupalli segment. On the other side Yadava, SC, OC and other BC communities have been playing a crucial role in determining the fate of the candidates.
Cheepurupalli Assembly segment is considered to be one of the bastions of TDP until 2004. The yellow party has garnered the support of the people and has won the seat consecutively five times from 1983 to 1999. However, Congress senior leader Botcha Satyanarayana demolished the TDP’s fortification in the 2004 and 2009 elections and served as housing, panchayat raj, and transportation minister from 2004 to 2014.
Later, he lost the seat to Kimidi Mrunalini of TDP in the 2014 elections amidst the strong dissidence by the people for State bifurcation. She served as a minister for rural development in the Chandrababu Naidu’s cabinet. In 2019, the TDP high command chose to introduce Kimidi Mrunalini’s son Nagarjuna, who lost to YSRC candidate Botcha Satyanarayana.
Determined to win the constituency in the 2024 elections and put an end to Botcha’s political supremacy in the district, the TDP top brass initially proposed Ganta Srinivasa Rao as its candidate for the Cheepurupalli segment. Since Ganta reportedly refused to leave Visakhapatnam, the TDP nominated Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao as its candidate for the seat.
This move has sparked severe dissent among the followers of TDP incharge Kimidi Nagarjuna for denying him the ticket. However, the party high command is positive that the cadre would welcome Kala Venkata Rao’s candidature as he is the blood relative of Nagarjuna.
The Cheepurupalli Assembly constituency comprises Cheepurupalli, Garividi, Merakamudidam, and Gurla mandals.
The region is one of the rain fed constituencies in the district. Therefore, the farmers have been relying on the Thotapalli reservoir as there are no other water resources for agriculture. Though the previous government led by Chandrababu Naidu launched the Sardar Gouthu Latchanna Thotapalli Barrage, the people of this region did not receive the irrigated water due to incompleteness of the branch canals. The ruling YSRC government also failed to complete the branch canals work.
In addition to this, though the YSRC leaders strongly opposed the merger of Rural Electric Cooperative Society (RECS) at Cheepurupalli into the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) before the elections, they became mute spectators when the RECS was merged into APEPDCL after the YSRC came into power.
It is to be noted that six ferro alloy companies located in Cheepurupalli, Garividi and Merakamudidam mandals have been providing livelihood to several people of these mandals.
However, four of these ferro alloy companies were shut down citing the government’s increased cost of power from `5.01 to `8.59 per unit. Though two companies revoked the lockout a few days ago, the remaining two companies still remain unfunctional.
The ruling YSRC leaders are confident of victory in the ensuing elections relying on the welfare schemes being implemented by the government. Botcha Satyanarayana never made specific election promises during his election campaign. However, he assured the people to resolve any issue in the constituency.
On the other hand, TDP candidate Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao exudes confidence that his seniority would help the party’s victory besides the government’s failure in the development of the constituency.
He said, “The ruling YSRC government ignored the development of Cheepurupalli. The present government thinks that giving `10 in the name of welfare schemes to a family and collecting `90 back is development. I have a vision for the development of the constituency besides improving the living standards of women, youth and farmers.”