In what is anticipated as a significant move, the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has reportedly decided to nominate its current Members of Parliament—Margani Bharat (Rajamahendravaram City) and Vanga Geetha (Kakinada City)—for the Assembly seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the erstwhile East Godavari district.
A few days ago, the YSRCP high command conveyed its decision to field the duo in the Assembly segments of Rajamahendravaram and Pithapuram, respectively. The primary objective behind deploying sitting MPs in the upcoming Assembly elections is ostensibly to enhance the ruling party’s prospects of victory and secure a second term in office.
The decision was met with approval by the MPs without any objections. Consequently, Ms. Geetha was appointed as the party in-charge of the Pithapuram Assembly constituency, while Mr. Bharat assumed the role of in-charge for the Rajamahendravaram City Assembly constituency.
Search on for MP candidate
To counter the alliance between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) in Rajamahendravaram City, the ruling party is reportedly actively searching for a prominent leader to contest from the Rajamahendravaram City Parliamentary constituency.
Initially, the YSRCP approached Backward Classes Welfare, Information and Public Relations, and Cinematography Minister Chelluboyina Venu Gopala Krishna to contest from the Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha constituency. This move was aimed at attracting voters from the Gouda and Setti Balija communities, whose combined votes significantly influence the election outcome. However, Mr. Venu Gopala Krishna was later directed to contest from the Rajamahendravaram Rural Assembly constituency. In the 2019 elections, he was elected as the MLA for Ramachandrapuram.
Notably, if the TDP, JSP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) form an alliance at the last minute, the BJP is expected to vie for the Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha seat.
Rajamahendravaram City MP Margani Bharat explained, “The party high command has deemed it necessary for me to contest in the city Assembly constituency. The announcement of the TDP and JSP alliance in September adds significance to the city Assembly seat in the upcoming elections. I am determined to win the seat and demonstrate our party’s stronghold in the city.” In 2019, the TDP’s Adireddi Bhavani, daughter of Kinjarapu Yerrannaidu, won the seat.
Regarding the decision to field MPs in the Assembly segments, Mr. Bharat stated, “Some successful MPs have been asked to contest in the Assembly constituencies to ensure victory. We recognise the need to play our respective roles, irrespective of our current positions, to rise to the occasion.”
As of now, none of the major three parties, including the ruling YSRCP, has finalised its MP candidate for the Rajamahendravaram and Kakinada Lok Sabha seats, keeping them vacant to replace with candidates who align with their poll strategies.
Kapu bastion
In the Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency, advocate-turned-politician and Kakinada MP Vanga Geetha was sent back to her native place of Pithapuram assembly constituency, where she was elected as an MLA on the Praja Rajyam Party ticket in 2009.
After a five-year hiatus without contesting for any party in the 2014 Assembly elections, she joined the YSRCP and became the Kakinada MP in 2019. Meanwhile, the YSRCP is yet to announce a candidate to replace Ms. Geetha in the Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency.
In the Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency, where JSP chief Pawan Kalyan launched his Varahi yatra, the JSP has gained strength over the years in all seven Assembly segments—Kakinada, Rural, Pithapuram, Tuni, Peddapuram, Jaggampeta, and Prathipadu. The voters belonging to the Kapu community are expected to play a decisive role in the Kakinada Lok Sabha, which comprises over 14.77 lakh votes (2019).
