CHITTOOR: Bordering Tamil Nadu, Chittoor Assembly constituency is a hub for diverse cultures and traditions, shaping the lifestyles of residents, who reflect a blend of Telugu and Tamil heritages.
Apart from dairy and poultry industries, a significant portion of the population relies on mango cultivation for their livelihood.
While the ruling YSRC is trying to retain the seat for the second consecutive time, with a new contender this time, the TDP is attempting to make a comeback in the Chittoor Assembly segment.
The YSRC has fielded MC Vijayananda Reddy, the current APSRTC vice-chairman, as its candidate, while the TDP has chosen Gurajala Jagan as its candidate for this election.
Interestingly, in the past, candidates representing the DMK and AIADMK parties have contested in this constituency, highlighting its strong Tamil influence. Chittoor, the administrative centre of the district, has also been home to leaders who made significant contributions to various political parties, including the Justice Party, Swatantra Party, and Krishikar Lok Party, both before and after Independence. Among them is Madabhusi Ananthsainam Ayyangar, a prominent figure who led the freedom movement in Chittoor district, served as a Member of Parliament for Chittoor Congress, and later became the Lok Sabha Speaker.
The region has a rich history of producing numerous influential leaders who actively participated in the freedom movement and held esteemed positions such as chief ministers. The presence of Tamil film actor MG Ramachandran campaigning in Chittoor further underscores this influence. Despite being the district headquarters, Chittoor has not yet seen the appointment of a minister from this area. The political landscape of Chittoor constituency has witnessed several shifts over the years. The Congress, which held sway for nearly 25 years, ceded ground to the TDP in 1989. Notably, Chittoor Krishnaswamy Jayachandra Reddy, known as CK Babu, emerged as a formidable figure in politics. He initially won as an independent MLA in 1989, later joining the Congress and securing victory for three consecutive terms (1994, 1999, and 2009).
The constituency’s political history saw a mix of party victories. The first MLA from Chittoor constituency, Chinnama Reddy of the Congress, clinched victory in the 1952 election. However, in a 1953 by-election, Srungaram of the Krishikar Lok Party was elected. Chinnama Reddy reclaimed victory in 1955.
In subsequent years, the political landscape witnessed victories from various parties. With the emergence of the TDP in 1983, NP Jhansi Lakshmi became the MLA, but in 1985, R Gopinathan of the Congress Party emerged victorious. After a two-decade hiatus, TDP candidate AS Manohar was elected as MLA in 2004, despite the Congress coming to power, defeating TDP. Following the state’s bifurcation in 2014, TDP candidate DA Satyaprabha secured victory. However, in 2019, she was defeated by YSRC candidate Jangalapalli Srinivasulu. This time, the YSRC nominated MC Vijayananda Reddy, the current APSRTC vice-chairman, as the constituency in-charge, subsequently granting him a ticket for the elections.
Despite speculation that the Chittoor Assembly constituency, predominantly led by the Balija community, might sway towards the Jana Sena, the Telugu Desam Party surprised many by nominating developer and film producer Gurajala Jagan as its candidate in the initial list. Hailing from Chittoor, Gurajala Jagan made a name for himself as a realtor and developer in Bengaluru before venturing into establishing educational institutions. Transitioning into film production, he also initiated a charitable trust and organised various public outreach programmes in Chittoor in recent years.
Following a setback in the 2019 polls and a leadership vacuum after former MLA AS Manohar retired from active politics, the TDP chose Gurajala Jagan as its candidate for the 2024 elections. Both Gurajala Jagan and YSRC’s MC Vijayananda Reddy are political novices competing against each other after the ruling party replaced sitting MLA Arani Sreenivasulu. While the YSRC employs its trademark approach to secure its hold on Chittoor, Gurajala Jagan presents his own manifesto along with the TDP’s six guarantees.
“Despite being the constituency headquarters, Chittoor lacks adequate education and healthcare facilities. Residents still rely on CMC-Vellore and SVIMS-Tirupati for specialised medical treatment and travel to Bengaluru or Chennai for higher education. I have plans to establish a multi-disciplinary super-specialty hospital and world-class educational institutions in Chittoor,” said TDP nominee G Jagan Mohan.
Farmers in Chittoor are advocating for establishing Chittoor as a poultry hub, driven by the surge in demand for traditional chicken meat in the market. Many small and medium farmers have embraced backyard poultry farming, particularly in rural areas like Chittoor rural and Gudipala mandals, opting to rear local breed chicks due to lower feed costs. With the increasing demand, farmers have also begun exporting local breed chicks to neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka from Chittoor district.
Narrow roads with potholes and other civic issues have been haunting the residents of the Chittoor town. Traffic congestion in PCR junction, MSR junction and old bus stand areas is regularly seen in the town. Narrow roads in church road and also in other main areas of the town have witnessed traffic congestion. Potholed roads on rail over bridges have remained a permanent issue in the town.
“Number of vehicles and population has increased in the town when compared to previous years. But, the roads remain the same leading to traffic congestion in main circles of the town. Even residents of the outskirts colonies have been facing troubles getting drinking water during summer season,” said M Siva Kumar, a private employee in Chittoor town.
