VIJAYAWADA: All eyes are set on the election results of the ‘star’ Assembly and Parliament constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, where top party leaders are testing their luck.
These mainly include Chief Minister and YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Opposition leader and Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and BJP state president Daggubati Purandeswari.
Analysts and punters are engaged in a lot of speculations on the margins, wins and defeats of the top leaders.
The total voting percentage in Pulivendula Assembly constituency where the Chief Minister is contesting was 81.34. There were 2,29,687 voters in there, out of which 1,86,833 cast their votes. Many believe it would be a cakewalk for Jagan Mohan Reddy in Pulivendula due to his past and present involvement with the constituency and performance as CM.
Jagan Mohan Reddy won Pulivendula with a majority of 90,110 votes in the 2019 elections. The YSRC expects this to cross one lakh this time, while the Opposition hopes to reduce the majority.
In Kuppam, the home constituency of Chandrababu Naidu, the total voters were 2,25,775. The voting percentage registered in the present election is 89.88. Some 1,01,306 males and 1,01,608 females voted.
The Chief Minister along with leaders like Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy concentrated on the Kuppam Assembly constituency for the past three years. Their efforts yielded good results as the YSRC registered a clean sweep in the local body and municipal elections. This time, Jagan Mohan Reddy fielded a young K.R.J. Bharath against stalwart Chandrababu Naidu.
Chandrababu, who never stayed in Kuppam, did not conduct a vast campaign during the earlier elections but this time, he stayed in Kuppam with his wife Bhuvaneswari to reassure the voters that he was available to them. He is constructing a house there to prove a point. Naidu reached the constituency half a dozen times during the election campaign.
In Managalagiri, Nara Lokesh worked a lot, aiming to register a win this time. The YSRC fielded a woman candidate Murugudu Lavanya, who belongs to a prominent political family that is familiar with the Mangalagiri people. The constituency has 2,92,432 voters, of which 1,21,038 men and 1,29,697 women cast their votes, registering a 85.74 per cent polling this time.
Lokesh faced defeat in the 2019 polls at the hands of Alla Ramakrishna Reddy. The YSRC is banking on BC votes, and aims to defeat Lokesh with support from the weavers’ community that is dominative in Mangalagiri.
The results of the Pithapuram Assembly segment, from where Jana Sena president and cine actor Pawan Kalyan contested, are also awaited with a lot of eagerness.
In the 2019 elections, Pawan Kalyan lost from two constituencies. This time, he pressed huge numbers of leaders and cadres in Pithapuram to avert another disaster. There are 2,36,409 voters in Pithapuram, of which 1,03,370 males and 1,01,438 females cast their votes, registering a 86.63 per cent polling. The YSRC fielded a strong woman candidate, Vanga Geetha, who gave a tough fight to Pawan.
State BJP president Daggubati Purandeswari entered the fray in Rajamahendravaram LS constituency against YSRC aspirant Guduri Srinivas this time. Interestingly, Congress senior leader Gidugu Rudra Raju was also in the fray there. The total voters are 16,23,149 in Rajamahendravaram LS, of which 6,47,491 males and 6,66,081 females cast their votes, registering 80.93 per cent polling.
Curiously, gamblers and punters are investing huge sums vis-a-vis the results in these star Assembly and Parliament constituencies.
