RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: The political atmosphere in the Gopalapuram Assembly constituency of East Godavari district is heating up as Home Minister Taneti Vanitha faces a tough fight from TDP candidate Maddipati Venkata Raju in the upcoming elections.
Vanitha has been serving as a Minister in Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s cabinet since 2019. Although, the segment is reserved for the SC- community, Kapus and Kammas dominate in all sectors. Among the SC community, Madiga voters are prominent in the segment, comprising nearly 25 to 30 per cent of the electorate. However, OBCs, Kapus, and OC communities also play crucial roles in determining the fate of the candidates.
The segment was considered a bastion of the TDP until 2019. However, in the 2019 Assembly elections, YSRC candidate Talari Venkat Rao won by a significant margin of 37,461 votes, defeating TDP candidate Muppidi Venkateswararao. Both YSRC and TDP have shifted their candidates to the adjacent Kovvur SC-reserved constituency, leaving Gopalapuram contested by Vanitha, who hails from the area. She was previously elected to the Assembly in 2009 on TDP ticket, but later joined the YSRC. Although she won the Kovvur Assembly seat in 2019, Vanitha was asked to contest Gopalapuram as Dommeru zamindars and industrialists refused to cooperate with her.
The YSRC leaders are confident in their victory, relying on the welfare schemes implemented by the State government. Vanitha has promised to set up a fire station and has intensified her campaign by touring all villages in the constituency.
Meanwhile, TDP candidate Maddipati Venkata Raju, contesting for the first time in the Gopalapuram Assembly constituency, commands support among the youth and has garnered support from landlords and JSP workers.
Venkat Rao, who was shifted to Kovvur, promised various development projects for Gopalapuram, but they are yet to be realised. Additionally, issues such as the lack of an ESI hospital for workers and delays in compensation for land acquisition have left farmers frustrated.
Devarapalli, one of the mandals in the segment which is considered a game-changer, is poised for development, as two national highways intersect here, with an express highway under construction. Yet, there has been lack of proper development in Nallajerla and Devarapalli mandals.