The four candidates representing different parties in the fight for Visakha North Assembly constituency are first time contestants but have a clear idea of what the constituency needs and what they could do.
At a face-to-face programme with the candidates organised by the Vizag Journalists’ Forum here on Friday, P. Vishnu Kumar Raju of the BJP, Gunturu Bharati Venkateswari of the Congress and Bheesetti Appa Rao Babji of the Lok Satta and Kamalakar of the JSP talked about what their respective parties wished to do and their plans to solve the local problems.
VJF president Gantla Sreenubabu presided and secretary S. Durag Rao was present.
Mr. Babji said his party wanted to re-establish the connection between the people and politics and tell them that the vote can change their lives and put an end to the MLA Raj. Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju felt the previous government had failed to give a fillip to the growth of Visakhapatnam in all areas.
Ms. Bharati Venkateswari, wife of a Congress leader Narasimha Murthy, is a housewife who has done a PG degree and enrolled herself as an advocate. She was active in running the local residents association at TPT Colony and found that the party’s vote bank was intact in spite of the Congress being blamed for bifurcation. Mr. Kamalakar said he would explain the problems Seemandhra and Telangana would face due to bifurcation.
YSRC candidate Chokkakula Venkata Rao did not attend the programme since his party was observing mourning for two days in respect of party leader Bhooma Shoba Nagi Reddy who died in a road accident.