The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Triangular fight for Jadcherla

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Triangular fight for Jadcherla

Correspondent

Congress candidate harps on development; Telugu Desam Party playing BC card

MAHABUBNAGAR: Jadcherla Assembly segment is witnessing a triangular fight among three major political parties Congress, Telugu Desam Party and Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

While Telugu Desam candidate M.Chandra Shekhar is playing BC card to recapture the seat he lost to TRS in the 2004 elections. Congress nominee Dr. Mallu Ravi is harping on development being undertaken by Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s government. He is also listing out developmental works that he is going to take up in Jadcherla constituency during ensuing one year period if he is elected. The TRS candidate Dr. Laxma Reddy is totally depended on Telangana sentiment that is mostly prevalent in youth and employees.

Among the 1,80,894 voters in Jadcherla Assembly segment, BC voters constitute over 90,000, SCs nearly 30,000, STs also around 30,000 and rest are from upper castes. Since the inception of Telugu Desam Party major chunk of the BC voters are with it. TDP candidates won the seat five times in the eleven elections that were held in the constituency since it was formed in 1961. Congress won in three elections and TRS in 2004 elections forging poll alignment with Congress.

But this time there seems a shift in BC voters. This is because of Telugu Desam candidates failure to keep rapport with the BC voters who blatantly supported him in 1995 byelections, 1999 general elections and his brother M. Satyanarayana (Yerra Satyam) in 1994 general elections. Both Congress and TRS candidates are pinning hopes on Scheduled Tribes votes. There are over 210 lambada tandas in Jadcherla Assembly constituency. 82 tandas are located in Balanagar mandal alone.

Keeping an eye on these votes TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao made “Thanda Nidra” (night halt in tanda) in a tanda of Balanagar mandal and donated Rs.1 lakh to a lambada family which is in distress conditions, before the election schedule was announced. Mallu Ravi also made a night halt in a tanda in Balanagar mandal and had a supper with lambadas, just before he was announced as party candidate officially. Besides a good part of BC votes and ST votes, Mallu Ravi is hopeful of bagging his communities’ (SC) votes.TRS candidate C. Laxma Reddy is confident that massive campaign undertaken by youth and college going students door to door espousing the cause of Telangana would bail him out in the byelections.

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