ANANTAPUR: Singanamala Assembly constituency in Anantapur district has a history of producing political stalwarts and freedom fighters. It has not only given ministers to the State but also sent Neelam Sanjiva Reddy to the august office of the President of India.
Even before independence, the Singanamala region was known for producing leaders who strove to uplift the people. It has become popular as the land of revolutionaries and social workers.
While, legendary communist leader Tarimela Nagireddy hailed from Tarimela village in the constituency, Neelam Rajasekhara Reddy is another leader who made an arc on the political scape of the country.
Singanamala was part of the Putluru Assembly constituency in 1952 and in 1967 during the delimitation process, it became the Assembly constituency replacing Putluru. It comprised Singanamala, Bukkarayasamudram, Garladinne, Narpala, Atmakur, and Kuderu mandals. It was reserved for the SCs in 1978.
In the 2009 delimitation process, the Atmakur mandal went to the Raptadu Assembly constituency, and Kuderu mandal was merged with the Uravakonda Assembly constituency. In their place, Yellanuru and Putluru mandals became part of the Singanamala Assembly constituency.
Since its inception, as many as 12 elections have taken place in the constituency. It was represented by leaders like Rukmini Devi, Jayaram, Shamanthakamani, and Sake Sailajanath.
Samantakamani contested five times—in 1985 and 1989 from Congress, and from TDP in 2004 and 2009—but won only once. She was a two-time MLC.
While the Congress won four times, the TDP emerged victorious five times, and Janata Party, Independent, and YSRC candidates have won one time each.
Old-timers in the constituency recall how the region produced stalwarts of communists and Congress parties, who played an important role in national politics. Remember, former President of India Neelam Sanjiva Reddy hailed from Illur village in Garladinne mandal of Singanamala constituency.
In 1953, he was the deputy chief minister of Andhra State and in 1956 became the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and was re-elected as Chief Minister in 1962. In 1964, he became a Rajya Sabha member and was part of Lal Bahadur Shastri’s cabinet as Union minister for steel. Later, he became Lok Sabha speaker and in 1977 became President of India.
Tarimela Nagireddy, known as people’s leader, represented the region thrice in the Assembly. He was elected from Putluru once and from Anantapur twice.
Four women represented Singanmala for a considerable time. Shamantakamani and her daughter Yaminibala, Rukmini Devi, and Jonnalagadda Padmavati represented Singanamalla in the Assembly.
B Rukmini Devi, Shamantakamani, Kotapalli Jayaram, and Sake Sailajananth became ministers and served Andhra Pradesh.
