Spiritual Tirupati to see spirited 3-corner fight for LS seat
27 April 2024 7:34 AM IST
Tirupati temple
TIRUPATI: Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency will witness an intense three-cornered contest between ruling YSR Congress Party's sitting MP Dr. Maddila Gurumurthy, Bharatiya Janata Party's V. Varaprasad, who recently quit YSRC, and veteran former Congress MP Chinta Mohan.
YSRC candidates V. Varaprasad and Balli Durga Prasad Rao respectively had won the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary general elections. Durga Prasad’s death in September 2020 following the Covid-19 attack necessitated the 2021 Tirupati by-election, which had also been won by YSRC’s Dr. Gurumurthy.
Historically, Telugu Desam Party has found no success in Tirupati constituency since 1984. TDP has repeatedly lost the seat despite alliances, including three times with BJP.
In 2024 elections, the ruling party has re-nominated its sitting MP Dr. Gurumurthy from the Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency. The doctor-turned politician has shed his low-profile academic image and recast himself as a strong development activist. Having brought several infrastructure projects in the Tirupati region, the YSRC candidate hopes to win a full term from the constituency he had won in a by-election.
In a surprise move, BJP has picked up as its candidate Varaprasad, who recently left YSRC. He won the Tirupati LS seat YSRC ticket in 2014. He moved to Gudur assembly seat in 2019. After being denied a ticket in 2024 polls, Varaprasad quit YSRC and immediately joined BJP. The saffron party hopes his organisational experience and support from its allies – TD and Jana Sena – will help Varaprasad win the seat.
YSRC is, however, describing Varaprasad as an opportunist for changing parties just to get a ticket.
Six-time Tirupati MP Chinta Mohan is the Congress candidate. He is seeking to recapture his old bastion that he had last won in 2009. Though the share of Congress vote has dwindled after AP’s bifurcation, the seasoned campaigner remains active in the constituency. He hopes his experience will compensate for his party’s fading footprint.
While the main battle is between the three contestants, there are smaller parties in fray, like the Liberation Congress Party, represented by former civil servant G.S.R.K. Vijaya Kumar.
In other words, Tirupati parliamentary seat is continuing to witness traditional triangular fights with a sprinkling of other players.
YSRC candidates V. Varaprasad and Balli Durga Prasad Rao respectively had won the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary general elections. Durga Prasad’s death in September 2020 following the Covid-19 attack necessitated the 2021 Tirupati by-election, which had also been won by YSRC’s Dr. Gurumurthy.
Historically, Telugu Desam Party has found no success in Tirupati constituency since 1984. TDP has repeatedly lost the seat despite alliances, including three times with BJP.
In 2024 elections, the ruling party has re-nominated its sitting MP Dr. Gurumurthy from the Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency. The doctor-turned politician has shed his low-profile academic image and recast himself as a strong development activist. Having brought several infrastructure projects in the Tirupati region, the YSRC candidate hopes to win a full term from the constituency he had won in a by-election.
In a surprise move, BJP has picked up as its candidate Varaprasad, who recently left YSRC. He won the Tirupati LS seat YSRC ticket in 2014. He moved to Gudur assembly seat in 2019. After being denied a ticket in 2024 polls, Varaprasad quit YSRC and immediately joined BJP. The saffron party hopes his organisational experience and support from its allies – TD and Jana Sena – will help Varaprasad win the seat.
YSRC is, however, describing Varaprasad as an opportunist for changing parties just to get a ticket.
Six-time Tirupati MP Chinta Mohan is the Congress candidate. He is seeking to recapture his old bastion that he had last won in 2009. Though the share of Congress vote has dwindled after AP’s bifurcation, the seasoned campaigner remains active in the constituency. He hopes his experience will compensate for his party’s fading footprint.
While the main battle is between the three contestants, there are smaller parties in fray, like the Liberation Congress Party, represented by former civil servant G.S.R.K. Vijaya Kumar.
In other words, Tirupati parliamentary seat is continuing to witness traditional triangular fights with a sprinkling of other players.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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