Debutants lock horns in Udayagiri poll battle
Update: 2024-04-17 02:04 GMT
TIRUPATI: The stage is set for an intense fight in Udayagiri assembly constituency in Nellore district, where two debutants – Mekapati Rajagopal Reddy of the YSR Congress and Kakarla Suresh of the Telugu Desam are locked in an electoral tussle.
The region's political history includes the launch of former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu's legislative career in 1978. The Congress dominated the constituency, with victories by Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy (1985), M Janaki Ram (1989) and Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy (2004, 2009). Independent K Vijayarami Reddy won the seat in 1994, and later under TD in 1999. TD's Venkata Ramarao won the seat in 2014. Chandrasekhar won in the 2012 by-election and in 2019 under the YSRC ticket, but he faced suspension for alleged cross-voting and later joined TD.
In this constituency, the 2024 election spotlight is on issues like drought, unemployment and migration. Many rural residents seek jobs in cities due to scarce local opportunities and drought conditions.
The incomplete Somasila high-level canal project, meant to provide irrigation and drinking water, remains incomplete, worsening the water crisis. Despite being custodians of the GI-tagged Udayagiri wooden cutlery, artisans struggle with marketing, sales promotion, and financial constraints, even as a facility centre was established nearly two decades ago.
Given the array of challenges, the primary political contenders, Rajagopal Reddy (YSRC) and Kakarla Suresh (TD) have centred their campaigns on addressing these concerns, pledging solutions if elected.
With the influential Mekapati family aiming to retain control in the wake of Chandrasekhar Reddy’s suspension, the TD is striving to garner votes, especially from the supporters of the YSRC rebel MLA.
"The people of Udayagiri have been with the Mekapati family through thick and thin, and we share an unbreakable bond," asserted Rajagopal.
"The YSRC has delivered on its promises through a range of transformative welfare schemes. If elected, I pledge to usher in a new era of development, create employment opportunities, and resolve the region's long-standing water crisis once and for all," he said.
Kakarla Suresh, the TD's candidate, has been campaigning and engaging in charitable works to garner public support. "For too long, the people of Udayagiri have been neglected and their aspirations left unfulfilled," Suresh stated. "If I am given the mandate, my priorities will be to create jobs locally, revitalise the iconic Udayagiri wooden cutlery industry and ensure the completion of the long-pending irrigation project."
The region's political history includes the launch of former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu's legislative career in 1978. The Congress dominated the constituency, with victories by Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy (1985), M Janaki Ram (1989) and Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy (2004, 2009). Independent K Vijayarami Reddy won the seat in 1994, and later under TD in 1999. TD's Venkata Ramarao won the seat in 2014. Chandrasekhar won in the 2012 by-election and in 2019 under the YSRC ticket, but he faced suspension for alleged cross-voting and later joined TD.
In this constituency, the 2024 election spotlight is on issues like drought, unemployment and migration. Many rural residents seek jobs in cities due to scarce local opportunities and drought conditions.
The incomplete Somasila high-level canal project, meant to provide irrigation and drinking water, remains incomplete, worsening the water crisis. Despite being custodians of the GI-tagged Udayagiri wooden cutlery, artisans struggle with marketing, sales promotion, and financial constraints, even as a facility centre was established nearly two decades ago.
Given the array of challenges, the primary political contenders, Rajagopal Reddy (YSRC) and Kakarla Suresh (TD) have centred their campaigns on addressing these concerns, pledging solutions if elected.
With the influential Mekapati family aiming to retain control in the wake of Chandrasekhar Reddy’s suspension, the TD is striving to garner votes, especially from the supporters of the YSRC rebel MLA.
"The people of Udayagiri have been with the Mekapati family through thick and thin, and we share an unbreakable bond," asserted Rajagopal.
"The YSRC has delivered on its promises through a range of transformative welfare schemes. If elected, I pledge to usher in a new era of development, create employment opportunities, and resolve the region's long-standing water crisis once and for all," he said.
Kakarla Suresh, the TD's candidate, has been campaigning and engaging in charitable works to garner public support. "For too long, the people of Udayagiri have been neglected and their aspirations left unfulfilled," Suresh stated. "If I am given the mandate, my priorities will be to create jobs locally, revitalise the iconic Udayagiri wooden cutlery industry and ensure the completion of the long-pending irrigation project."