KADAPA : An SC-reserved Assembly constituency, Railway Kodur in Annamayya district which was once a TDP stronghold has now become a bastion of the YSRC.
While the ruling party’s Koramutla Srinivasulu is vying for a fifth term as Railway Kodur MLA, the Jana Sena, which is fighting the elections in an alliance with the TDP and BJP, has nominated Arava Sridhar. Initially, Dr Bhaskar Rao was slated to contest on JSP ticket, but he was replaced following allegations that he was a YSRC covert.
The TDP represented the segment from 1983 to 1999. In 2004 and 2009 elections, Gunti Venkateswara Prasad and Koramutla Srinivasulu won on a Congress ticket respectively. Later, Srinivasulu resigned from the Congress and from his MLA post and joined the YSRC. He won the by-election in 2012 and went on to retain the seat in 2014 and 2019 as well.
However, despite the two parties holding power for a significant time in the region, voters in Railway Kodur have been facing problems galore.
Horticulture is a boon and a bane for the region. The constituency is known for its fruit orchards, yet farmers suffer losses every time there excessive or deficit rain. Farmers cultivate mangoes in 20,000 hectares, guava in 18,000 hectares, papaya in 20,000 hectares, jamun in 8,000 hectares, sapota in 2,000 hectares, and pomegranate in 4,000 hectares. The horticulture crops have a good demand in both Telugu States as well as neighbouring States.
Earlier, the APSAA juice factory in Anantharajupeta employed thousands of workers and procured produce from horticulture farmers. However, due to mismanagement, it was shut down in 1997 and has not been revived since. For decades, politicians have been promising to revive the industry during every election campaign, but there has been no progress.
Both ruling and opposition parties have promised to set up horticulture hubs in Rajampeta and Railway Kodur. But no concrete action has been taken so far.
There are no government-owned cold storages, and the existing market yard is dysfunctional, forcing horticulture farmers to rely on private yards and suffer losses at the hands of middlemen every year. Farmers’ pleas seeking extra rakes for transportation of horticulture crops to other State have fallen on deaf ears. Due to the lack of employment opportunities, many residents are migrating to Gulf countries for a livelihood.
Many development works, too, have failed to take off. Construction of the bypass road for Railway Kodur and Galeru-Nagari Phase 2 works have been stalled. Foundation stones were also laid for the construction of a railway under bridge, a retaining wall for the Gunjana River and double-lane road between Chitveli and Koduru, but works have not commenced. The long-pending demand for a road through the forest area from Koduru to Venkatagirimarga has not been fulfilled. Residents say the road will not only reduce travel costs, but also facilitate the transportation of horticulture crops from Koduru and the trade of pattu sarees from Venkatagiri.
Even though there is anti-incumbency against the sitting MLA, internal dissidence in the alliance parties could hamper the NDA’s poll prospects. Dissent within the TDP brewed with the party replacing Kasturi Viswanadha Naidu, former Railway Kodur in-charge, with Mukka Rupananda Reddy, who recently switched over from the YSRC to the TDP. Viswanadha Naidu and Pantagani Narasimha Prasad, another senior TDP leader, who contested and lost in the previous elections, had hoped for a ticket. Miffed with the TDP leadership for allocating the ticket to JSP, the duo are not participating in election campaigns.
Meanwhile, Rupananda Reddy consulted with Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan and recommended his disciple, Arava Sridhar, the Sarpanch of Mukkavaripalli, as the MLA candidate.
To pacify Viswanadha Naidu, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu appointed him as the party’s State executive secretary. Yet, the politician has stayed away from campaigning.
The Mala, Madiga, and Girijana communities have a significant influence over the outcome, followed by Balija, Reddy, Kamma, Raju, Backward Classes and Minorities.
In this backdrop, both Koramutla Srinivasulu and Arava Sridhar have been campaigning to seek public mandate.
“YSRC government has made efforts for the development of Railway Kodur like never before. We have plans to implement many more development works in the region. Few development works which were already initiated would be completed within a short period,” Srinivasulu asserted.
On the other hand JSP candidate Arava Sridhar criticised Srinivasulu and alleged that though he has been the MLA since 2009, he has not made any efforts for the development of Railway Kodur.
He promised that if the NDA comes to power, they would strive to put the constituency on the path of development with the co-operation of the Central and State governments.