The Hindu : It's TDP vs. Congress in Guntur district

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 03, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

It's TDP vs. Congress in Guntur district

By Ramesh Susarla

POLITICALLY VIBRANT and agriculturally rich with a host of commercial crops, Guntur district projects a picture of Andhra Pradesh in miniature. The district is literally the meeting point of the three regions of the State -- Telangana, Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema - and this is reflected in the divergent lifestyle of people in the three revenue divisions.

Narsaraopet division in Palnadu region, known for people with leadership qualities, is slowly emerging a stronghold of the People's War which has begun targeting Telugu Desam leaders. Guntur and Tenali revenue divisions with irrigation facilities have large areas under paddy, cotton, chillies, tobacco and turmeric crops.

Several leaders from this district have played a crucial role in State and even in national politics. Three Chief Ministers -- Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, Bhavanam Venkatram and N. Bhaskara Rao -- belonged to this district as did the renowned kisan leader N. G. Ranga, who served as a Parliamentarian for over five decades, and Kotha Raghuramaiah, former Union Minister.

Women voters outnumber their male counterparts in all 19 Assembly constituencies with 15.06 lakhs of them enrolled against 14.69 lakh men.

Three of the four Parliamentary constituencies in the district -- Tenali, Guntur, Bapatla and Narsaraopet -- were represented by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the dissolved Lok Sabha and the fourth, Narasaraopet, by former Chief Minister, Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy.

The TDP's performance in the 1999 Assembly elections was no less spectacular. It won 14 out of 19 Assembly seats in this district which elects the largest number of MLAs after East Godavari (21).

A Congress sweep in 1989 gave the party 14 out of 19 Assembly seats in the district with the TDP winning from Kuchinapudi, Prathipadu, Macherla, Chilakaluripet and Narsaraopet.

The roles were reversed in the 1994 Assembly elections with the Congress winning only at Duggirala, Pedakurapadu and Chilakaluripet.

Over the years, the Health Minister, Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, has emerged a powerful leader with a clout extending far beyond his Narsaraopet Assembly constituency. But, a marked feature of this district is that the TDP as well as the Congress suffer from excessive groupism and rivalries. Kodela has his own share of detractors while the Congress is divided between the Rayapati and Kanna Lakshminarayana groups. The TDP hopes that the Food-for-work programme, Janmaboomi, one crore benefit schemes and road works will help it garner votes.

The Congress is banking on a negative vote against the Government - the water shortage in Nagarjunasagar and delta areas and unequal distribution of welfare schemes.

In the 2001 panchayat elections, the TDP won 35 ZPTC seats and bagged the Zilla Parishad chairmanship while the Congress trailed behind with only 20 seats.

But, the fact that the Congress won 45.46 per cent of votes holds ominous portents for the TDP.

GUNTUR DISTRICT

Assembly constituencies: 19

Lok Sabha: 4

(Guntur,

Tenali,

Narasaraopet &

Bapatla)

Voters: 29,74,925

Male: 14,69,327

Female:15,05,598

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