Visakhapatnam: Araku, the only Scheduled Tribe constituency in Andhra Pradesh, is set to witness a high-profile battle between two highly educated women leaders in the present elections.
Kothapalli Geeta, representing the TD-led alliance, will compete against Chetti Tanuja Rani of the YSRC to clinch the Lok Sabha seat.
Geeta, the first college-educated leader from the area, held the role of deputy collector before resigning and winning the 2014 elections. She is now seeking to retain the seat.
YSRC nominee Chetti Tanuja Rani is a doctor by profession. She worked as an epidemiologist at the Paderu district hospital and is contesting a poll for the first time.
Araku constituency falls under the Alluri Sitarama Raju and Parvathipuram districts and is considered as one of the most- backward areas in Andhra Pradesh. With a total of 15.39 lakh voters, including 7.91 lakh women and 7.47 lakh men, the constituency is said one of the largest Lok Sabha constituencies. YSRC won the seat twice -- in 2014 and 2019.
The constituency, with its 90,000 habitations and limited access to healthcare facilities, remains as one of the mos-underdeveloped areas. Absence of specialist’s doctors in local hospitals forces patients to go to Visakhapatnam.
YSRC nominee Chetti Tanuja Rani told Deccan Chronicles that the YSRC has implemented several welfare schemes for the poor and developed the region. YSRC should be re-elected to ensure the continuation of these programmes, she says.
Kothapalli Geeta has been a controversial leader. She is facing the ire of adivasis who blame her for supporting the interests of non-tribals and having unholy connections with the mining mafia.
The CBI court had convicted her and given her 5 years’ jail term on a charge of defrauding a national bank for `42 crore but the high court stayed the jail term. Similarly, the state government had issued GO-2 cancelling her Schedule Tribe certificate, but the high court gave her relief and a permission to contest the present polls.
However, Geeta's campaign has garnered attention for its unique approach. Women bouncers have been deployed to provide her personal security. Tribals say they are intrigued by the presence of “female celebrities” in their villages.
