Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Poll process set in motion in Chittoor

TIRUPATI: With the Election Commission announcing the schedule for the 2009 general elections, the polling process has been set in motion to elect representatives for the three Lok Sabha (Chittoor, Tirupati and Rajampet) and 14 Assembly constituencies coming under Chittoor district.

The political temperature in the district, which all along remained subdued, has heated up and is set to touch the flashpoint on the D-Day. Political parties and poll-zealots who were engaged hitherto in mere guess work on the election date and other related matters have started getting down to serious business. Rumour mills have started working, giving wings to fertile imagination on the election scenario.

Tirupati is all set to be the focal point in the State with megastar Chiranjeevi announcing his decision to contest his maiden election to the State Assembly from this prestigious seat.

Tirupati, in fact played host even to the TDP founder, N.T. Rama Rao, when he made his political debut in 1983.

Similarly, Chittoor will come under sharp focus in the electoral battle as it would be from this district that the two Chief Ministerial candidates, N. Chandrababu from Kuppam and the PR founder, Chinranjeevi, from Tirupati, will be contesting.

Since the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, will be running for another term from his Pulivendula constituency in the adjoining Kadapa district, the Rayalaseema region will occupy centrestage in the upcoming elections as all the three Chief Ministererial candidates—YSR, Naidu and Chiranjeevi—will be testing their political fortunes from this region.

There are 26.61 lakh voters in the district, the highest being 2.33 lakh voters in Tirupati Assembly segment, while Nagari accounts for the least enrolment—1.65 lakh.

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