The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Rajasekhar may find the going tough in Chilakaluripet

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Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Rajasekhar may find the going tough in Chilakaluripet

P. Samuel Jonathan

Rebel trouble poses the biggest challenge for this advocate-turned-politician

Polarisation of the influential Kapu votes and a resurgent Prathipati Pulla Rao cause for concern
Rajasekhar’s father-in-law Somepalli Sambaiah won three times in 1978, 1985 and 1994

Marri Rajasekhar

CHILAKALURIPET: Congress MLA Marri Rajasekhar has a penchant for bull-racing and has been dutifully conducting the annual bull-race competitions every January in memory of his father-in-law and three-time MLA Somepalli Sambaiah. But as elections approach, Mr. Rajasekhar is finding the going as difficult as riding a rampaging bull.

A range of factors including, simmering rebel trouble, a resurgent Prathipati Pulla Rao and the polarisation of the influential Kapu votes, might challenge Mr. Rajasekhar as he attempts to rewrite history by becoming the first MLA to be elected successive terms in the electoral history of the constituency.

Worthy successor

Somepalli Sambaiah has won three times in 1978, 1985 and 1994 and after Mr. Rajasekhar had stepped in his shoes, managed to win in the first attempt itself in the year 2004.

In the 2004 elections, Mr. Rakasekhar stood as an independent and managed to scamper home by a margin of just 212 votes. The Congress fielded Malladi Sivanarayana against Mr. Pulla Rao, a cotton baron and president of district unit of TDP. The re-admission of Mr. Rajasekhar into the Congress was a mere formality.

As elections approach, Mr. Rajasekhar finds himself locked in a tussle with familiar rival, Mr. Pulla Rao. The Praja Rajyam Party might field either an RMP doctor Hanif or Annam Srinivasa Rao.

But rebel trouble poses the biggest challenge for this advocate turned politician. Over 1,000 Congress activists were tipped to resign on Wednesday and cross the fence over to PRP. Some of the disgruntled party men like M. Radhakrishna, who have tried till the last minute to wrest the seat, were making moves to work against him.

The constituency is one of the few constituencies which had retained most of its mandals. It now constitutes Chilakaluripet Town, Yadlapadu and Nadendla mandals with three villages from the erstwhile Prathipadu constituency, Turlapadu, Sandepudi and Unnava being merged into the assembly segment.

Fair mix

The constituency has a fair mix of Kamma, Kapu and Muslim votes and only time would tell who would win the Assembly race.

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