RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: A big fight is on the cards between two women in Rampachodavaram (ST reserved) Assembly constituency. Sitting YSRC MLA Nagulapalli Dhanalakshmi is set to take on Miriyala Sirisha Devi of TDP, a political novice, belonging to the tribal community.
The segment with an electorate of 2.76 lakh comes under the purview of Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The constituency bordering Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, consists of Chintur, Kunavaram, VR Puram, Yatapaka, Rampachodavaram, Gangavaram, Addateegala, Maredumilli, Rajavommangi, Devipatnam and Y Ramavaram mandals. Of the total, VR Puram, Kunavaram, Chintur, Yatapaka and Devipatnam are popularly known as submerged mandals of the Polavaram Irrigation Project. Polavaram project displaced families and their rehabilitation and resettlement is a major issue, which is likely to decide the election outcome.
Speaking to TNIE, Dhanalakshmi exuded confidence of victory for the second consecutive time from Rampachodavaram.
“The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government has constructed R&R colonies for displaced families of Polavaram project, besides implementing several development programmes and welfare schemes. The YSRC government’s commitment to the welfare of people will fetch us votes in the elections,” she asserted.
Sirisha Devi, an Anganwadi staffer, has quit the job and joined politics. Though she is a novice, her family has a political background. Her parents worked as sarpanch and MPTC member in Rajavommangi mandal. She seems to be facing dissidence from former MLA P Rajeswari, who was denied party ticket. Exuding confidence of her victory, Sirisha Devi said the TDP would expose the failures of the YSRC government on various fronts in the last five years to reach out to the people. “Our district headquarters Paderu is located 300 km away. Visiting the district headquarters is a cumbersome experience. There is no systematic approach to develop the tribal constituency. Development is the poll plank of the TDP-JSP-BJP combine. We will make coordinated efforts to win the people’s trust in the elections,” she asserted.
Though the people of the constituency seem to be divided on the performance of the YSRC government in the last five years, the undue delay in completion of Polavaram and the rehabilitation and resettlement of the project displaced families is likely to be the determining factor in the election outcome, observed a political analyst.
Polavaram project displaced to decide poll outcome?
Though the people seem to be divided on the performance of the YSRC government, the undue delay in completion of Polavaram project & rehabilitation of the displaced families is likely to be the determining factor in the poll outcome, a political analyst observed