The Piler Assembly constituency of the Annamayya district is significant, both politically and commercially. However, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has not won a single election in the region since 1994. Before the constituency reorganisation, parts of the original Vayalpadu constituency and Piler regions were combined to form the Piler Assembly constituency in 2009.
Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, the last Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, contested from the Vayalpadu constituency when he joined politics in 1989. After the division of the state, Mr. Kiran and his brother Nallari Kishore Kumar Reddy formed their party, Jai Samaikyandhra Party in 2014, but Mr. Kishore was defeated in Piler by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in the subsequent elections.
Despite being defeated twice in direct elections, Mr. Kishore remained active as a key TDP functionary. The Nallari family enjoyed a good reputation across the constituency as Mr. Kiran oversaw a plethora of development projects, including roads, educational institutions, and Central institutes as the Chief Minister.
Nallari’s vs Peddireddy’s
There has been a longstanding political rivalry for four decades between the Nallari and the Peddireddy family (of present Energy Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy) in the constituency. As part of this feud, the Peddireddy family was believed to have helped Chintala Ramachandra Reddy (present Piler MLA) to defeat the Nallari family in 2014. In the 2019 elections, Mr. Chintala Ramachandra Reddy contested from the YSRCP and got 49% votes, while Mr. Kishore contested from TDP and got 46%.
After the Congress was defeated in the State in 2014, Mr. Kiran went into political hibernation, even after rejoining the Congress. Although he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in April 2023, he has not actively participated in politics. However, his brother remains confident of victory in 2024, while his supporters maintain that a ‘sympathy wave’ for being defeated twice in Piler will work in favour of the Nallari brothers. Moreover, Mr. Kishore played an active role in exposing the ₹500 crore land scam in Piler and surrounding areas by the YSRCP leaders, according to TDP activists.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Kishore said that the people of Piler were vexed with the excesses of the Energy Minister and his son, Rajampeta MP, P. Mithun Reddy. “The father-son duo has looted Piler along with the sitting MLA, leaving nothing from sand, gravel, and lands. Alliance with the JSP and the BJP has come as an added advantage to the TDP,” he said.
