The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Cuddapah News : Barytes-rich Kodur ready for keen Congress-TDP contest

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Tuesday, Apr 06, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Cuddapah

Barytes-rich Kodur ready for keen Congress-TDP contest

By M.V. Subramanyam

CUDDAPAH, APRIL 3. The Telugu Desam Party has dropped the Minister for Woman and Child Welfare, Somineni Saraswathi, apparently because she allegedly fell out with the NEDCAP chairman, Katta Narayanaiah Naidu, who has considerable hold on Kodur (SC reserved) constituency, owing to an ego clash.

Ms. Saraswathi, a degree college lecturer in Rajampet before she plunged into politics on the eve of the elections in 1999 and inducted into the Cabinet as soon as she was elected MLA, was replaced by Nandavaram Ajay Babu, an English lecturer in Sri Bahothama Vidya Daana Junior College at Pullampet. Mr. Ajay Babu is a native of Renigunta in Chittoor district and is married to Sunanda Reddy, daughter of a TDP leader, Ramachandra Reddy, of Obulavaripalle in Kodur segment, has been chosen for the TDP ticket.

In fact, the constituency elected a member of the teaching faculty in the 1994 elections too, when a retired teacher, Vaddi Chennaiah, was elected MLA. Mr. Chennaiah recently joined the Congress. The Congress is said to have sent feelers to Ms. Saraswathi to switch parties while the TDP leaders are trying to persuade her not to quit the ruling party. The Congress is likely to announce its candidate for the segment in a couple of days.

The peculiar feature of Kodur is that it was part of Rajampet Assembly constituency, with two MLAs elected -- one for Rajampet and another for Kodur -- simultaneously, until it was carved out as a separate constituency reserved for the SCs in the 1962 elections. The constituency has the world's largest barytes deposits at Mangampet Barytes Project, reserve forests having red sanders and is known for its horticultural crops such as mango, citrus, sweet lime and banana. The segment is considered a stronghold of the TDP, predominantly due to the dominance of Kamma and Raju castes. An independent, N. Penchalaiah, became the first MLA of Kodur in 1962 and was re-elected in 1967, defeating the Congress candidate, P. Venkatasubbaiah. The Congress candidate, Gunti Sriramulu, won the seat in 1972 and N. Venkatasubbaiah of Janata Party was elected in 1978. The TDP has been winning the seat in all the elections since its inception in 1983. A medical practitioner, L. Srinivasulu, was elected on TDP ticket in 1983 and Thumati Penchalaiah of TDP won the seat in the 1985 bypolls.

Mr. Penchalaiah was re-elected in 1989, V. Chennaiah in 1994 and S. Saraswathi in 1999, who was inducted into the Cabinet and held the Woman and Child Welfare portfolio since then. The Congress fielded an advocate, V. Dhanunjaya, in 1989 and 1994 and the former MLA, Sriramulu's son, Gunti Venkateswara Prasad, in 1999, but they lost. The former CLP Leader, Y.S, Rajasekhara Reddy's father, Y.S. Raja Reddy, had a hold on the segment but following his assassination, the Congress is now pinning its hopes on the clout of the Kodur mandal parishad president, Batyala Chengalrayalu, for boosting its prospects and counter Mr. Narayanaiah Naidu of the TDP.

The Kodur constituency reserved for SCs has 34,000 SC voters, followed by 16,000 voters of Balija community, 14,000 Reddys, 10,000 Kammas, 9,000 Rajus and 6,000 STs, but the upper castes have always dominated the political scenario in the constituency. This can be gauged by the alleged `social boycott' imposed on dalits of Thimmaiahgaripalle village in Chitvel mandal, for daring to independently cast votes as per their choice in the 1999 elections.

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