With an eye on the 2024 elections, the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has given Ministerial berths to four people from North Andhra — Dharmana Prasada Rao, P. Rajanna Dora, Botcha Satyanarayana and Seediri Appala Raju — as it looks to make further inroads into the region where its main rival Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has enjoyed a strong political base in the past.
Hailing from the Polinati Velama community, Mr. Prasada Rao is a political heavyweight who has been a five-time MLA, winning in 1989, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2019, and has served in the Cabinets of Chief Ministers Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy, N. Janardhan Reddy and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Popular across the region, Mr. Prasada Rao is expected to help the party significantly improve its vote share in the 2024 elections.
Mr. Appala Raju, a first-time MLA from Palasa who has been retained in the Cabinet, is expected to strengthen Mr. Prasada Rao’s hands with his influence among the fishing community which has a sizable presence in Srikakulam district with its 180-km-long coastline.
