The Hindu : Scheduled Castes vote holds key to victory

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 15, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Scheduled Castes vote holds key to victory

<167,9p>By M. Rajiv

PONNUR ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCY

Voters - 1,22,915

Men - 59,812

Women - 62,753

VIJAYAWADA, MARCH 14. The Ponnur Assembly segment, which forms part of the Bapatla Lok Sabha constituency, has been a stronghold of the Telugu Desam Party since 1983.The constituency, which has the distinction of being the birthplace of many eminent people, including the veteran freedom fighter, Acharya N.G. Ranga, who was born in Nidubrolu, is being represented by candidates of the Kamma caste for the past few decades.

The votes of the Scheduled Castes, who form a major portion of the electorate of 1,22,915, will hold the key to decide the prospects of the candidates. Ponnur constituency, from where the TDP candidates won in the four out of five elections held from 1983 to 1999, was not known for returning the same candidates. But the trend changed after the TDP led by its founder and Chief Minister, N.T. Rama Rao, was swept to power in 1983.

D. Veeraiah Chowdary, father of the present incumbent, D. Narendra Kumar, won from the seat in 1983 and 1985 with huge margins. Mr. Chowdary was, however, defeated in the 1989 elections when the Congress came back to power riding on an anti-incumbency wave. The Congress candidate, Chittineni Venkata Rao, managed to win from the seat with a slender margin of 1,654 votes against his TDP rival, Mr. Chowdary. However, the trend changed in 1994 when the TDP swept back to power and Mr. Narendra Kumar won from the seat with a huge margin of 21,729 votes.

His winning streak continued in 1999 too, though with a lesser margin of 15,533 votes and Mr. Narendra Kumar is now eyeing for a hat-trick in the forthcoming election.

While there are several contenders for the seat on behalf of the Congress, Mr. Narendra Kumar is the lone contender for the seat from the ruling party.

He is, however, facing criminal charges in a murder case that took place in 1998. The trial in the case has been completed and the judgment reserved.

In sharp contrast, several contenders including Karumanchi Prasad, managing director of Prasad Seeds, M. Leeladhara Rao, an NRI, Dhulipala Sambasiva Rao, a local doctor, and the Congress leader Gogineni Venkata Krishna, a relative of Acharya N.G. Ranga, are in the race for the Congress ticket from the constituency.

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