Fierce electoral battle unfolds in Guntur East segment
GUNTUR: With battle lines drawn for the upcoming elections, a fierce battle is unfolding in Guntur East Assembly constituency between the ruling YSRC and the opposition TDP.
While the YSRC is confident of retaining this prominent segment, TDP is strategising to wrest the seat from the ruling party. Both parties have fielded Muslim candidates, as the Muslim and BC voters are high in number. The TDP gave the ticket to Mohammad Naseer, while YSRC has fielded Shaik Noori Fathima, daughter of sitting MLA Musthafa.
Since the constituency’s inception in 1951, Congress had a strong hold and secured the segment seven times, while TDP won three times in 1983, 1994, and 1995 elections. However, the YSRC managed to shift Congress voters in its favour in 2014. Mohammad Musthafa, a local businessman, secured the seat with a high majority, and his winning streak continued in 2019.
Unlike in 2019, the main fight might be between YSRC and Congress in the 2024 elections. Set to make a remarkable comeback, Congress is fielding senior leader and former MLA Shaik Mastan Vali.
All political leaders have intensified their effective electioneering and are conducting division-wise meetings and door-to-door campaigns. Meanwhile, YSRC is highlighting the development works completed in the last four years, including construction of roads worth Rs 400 crore, renovation of parks, establishment of 17 new UPHCs, and development plans for PVK Naidu market, as well as upliftment of slum areas in the segment. The recent water contamination issue and road widening works are some of the key problems that are likely to sway the poll outcome. The public has expressed differing opinions. Some have lauded YSRC for developing the infrastructure, while others lamented that the segment is neglected compared to Guntur West.
Nagoor Bhasha, a fruit shop owner, opined that Musthafa has worked very hard for the development of our segment, and we are confident that his daughter will follow in his footsteps.
Opining that the winning of Congress in the constituency is not in the near future, he also observed that the TDP alliance might work to its disadvantage in the region.
T Krishna Prasad, a driver and resident of Nehru Nagar, said, “No matter which party comes into power, our constituency is not prioritised compared to Guntur West constituency. For the past few decades, Guntur East is not as well developed as Guntur West, and this discrimination has been clearly visible in the past five years. We sincerely request the leaders of all parties to strive for infrastructure development, including better roads, sanitation, and greenery in the East constituency.”
Pointing out that the water contamination issue has them worried, Jareena Begum said that the incident was very scary. The officials took swift action and set up special medical camps and door-to-door surveys.
However, the civic officials should take up water pipeline repair works thoroughly and prevent such incidents from happening in the future. S Kavitha, another resident, said one of the primary infrastructure development needs in the East constituency is road extension. It is concerning that road widening works were initiated just a few months ago, raising questions about why it took authorities so long to address this issue and why it coincided with the upcoming elections, she added.