S.V.S.N. Varma, an independent candidate who contested for the Pithapuram Assembly constituency, won the election with a thumping majority of 47,080 votes. At a time when the Telugu Desam Party did well in the rest of East Godavari district, Mr. Varma got more than 60 per cent of the polled votes on his poll symbol ‘ring’ in the election.
A loyal worker of the TDP, Mr. Varma contested the election on the TDP ticket in the 2009 elections from the same seat and lost it to Vanga Geeta Viswanath of the Praja Rajyam Party with a low margin. Citing the caste equations, the TDP denied ticket to him this election and fielded Pothula Venkata Viswam, a political novice in the poll arena.
Despite several interactions from the top leaders of the TDP, Mr. Varma filed his nomination as an independent and campaigned rigorously in the constituency. As he was known to almost every household for the last 10 years, people seems to have sympathised with him and the denial of the ticket by the TDP also seems to have helped him get a thumping majority.
His immediate rival Pendem Dorababu of the YSRCP too was a former MLA from the Pithapuram Assembly constituency, who won the seat on the BJP ticket in 2004. The TDP’s nominee Mr. Viswam managed to get only 15,187 votes in the election. In the constituency where the ‘Kapu’ voters are predominant, Mr. Varma, who belonged to ‘Kshatriya’ community, whose population was quite nominal in the constituency, won the hearts of the public by rendering service to them for the last 10 years. Notwithstanding the caste equations, people voted him to power with a record majority.
“I am thankful to the public for voting me to power. I will continue to be with them and fulfil all my assurances,” said Mr. Varma, whose priorities were to improve the basic amenities in Pithapuram and protecting the agricultural fields from the perennial problem of inundation.
