47.88 lakh voters to decide fate of 299 candidates

Kakinada: As many as 47,88,681 voters will decide the fate of 43 candidates for Lok Sabha and 256 candidates for the state assembly on Monday.

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan is in the fray in Pithapuram assembly constituency and the BJP state president D Purandeswari for the Rajamahendravaram LS seat. Former deputy chief minister Nimmakayala China Rajappa, former minister Thota Venkata Narasimham, former agriculture minister Kurasala Kannababu, two ministers- Taneti Vanitha (home minister), Pinepe Viswaroop and Ch Srinivasa Venu Gopalakrishna are the senior leaders contesting the elections.

Pawan Kalyan is facing YSRC candidate Vanga Geetha, a senior politician with three and a half decades of public life behind her.

State BJP chief and former Union minister Purandeswari, daughter of TD founder NT Rama Rao, is facing a first-time candidate and prominent doctor, Guduri Srinivas in Rajamahendravaram LS constituency.

TD candidate China Rajappa is facing first-timer and YSRC candidate Dovuluri Dorababu. BC welfare minister Chelluboyina Srinivasa Venu Gopalakrishna is competing with six-time MLA Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary, the TD candidate in Rajamahendravaram Rural constituency.

Transport minister Pinepe Viswaroop is contesting against former MLA and TD candidate Ayithabathula Ananda Rao. Thota Venkata Narasimham is contesting against former MLA Jyothula Venkata Appa Rao from Jaggampeta. Sitting Kakinada Rural MLA Kannababu is facing the Patnham Venkateswara Rao (Nanaji) of Jana Sena.

Meanwhile, Chalamalasetty Sunil who was defeated in Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency is contesting from the same constituency on behalf of YSRC against Jana Sena candidate Tangella Uday Srinivas (Team Time Uday). These two candidates are businessmen.

Thirteen sitting MLAs -- Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy, Kannababu, Viswaroop, Venu Gopalakrishna, Jakkampudi Raja, Sathi Suryanarayana Reddy, China Rajppa, G Srinivasa Nayudu, T Vanitha, P Venkata Satish, T Venkata Rao, Ch Jaggireddy of YSRC, V Jogeswara Rao, China Rajappa of TD are again in the poll fray.

Two MPs -- Vanga Geetha (Kakinada) and M Bharat Ram (Rajamahendravaram) -- are contesting from Pithapuram and Rajamahendravaram assembly segments respectively.

A total of 91 candidates are contesting from seven assembly segments under Amalapuram Lok Sabha, 94 candidates for seven assembly segments under Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency and 71 candidates under Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha constituency this time.

Polling staff have reached their respective polling stations on Sunday evening. By Sunday afternoon, a poll team reached Hope Island, located 14 nautical miles from Kakinada City in the Bay of Bengal, where there are more than 300 voters.

However, in many polling booths, there are no basic amenities like fans, despite the big talk by the EC.