The constituency located on Andhra-Tamil Nadu has an uneven mix of Tamil and Telugu speaking people where many social groups have a decisive say. The delimitation exercise of 2009 eliminated the neighbouring Puttur constituency from the political landscape and tagged a chunk of it to Nagari, complicating the complex equations.
This time, the fight appears to be direct between Telugu Desam Party strongman Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu and YSR Congress leader and actress R.K. Roja, as the former Minister Reddyvari Chenga Reddy (Congress) has been pushed to a distant third.
Mr. Naidu, who is known for his personal contact with his constituents, had to suffer a bit with the redrawn contours in 2009. It was because of this factor that his victory margin over his bête-noire Chenga Reddy fell to a wafer-thin 1,308 votes. Though in a comfortable position at present, Mr. Naidu was weighed down by anti-incumbency and dissent within the party.
Ms. Roja stood in Nagari in 2004 on behalf of the TDP and lost, moved over to Chandragiri in 2009 and lost again, and is now back here as YSRC candidate. With the dilly-dallying having spoiled her political career for a decade, she openly criticised TDP Chief N. Chandrababu Naidu for letting her down. The indefatigable leader is brushing up her old contacts and touring her constituency extensively, understanding how crucial the forthcoming general election is to her. YSRC has a lot of political upstarts and the absence of seasoned politicians to guide her is a setback.
Kammas, Reddys, Dalits, Mudaliars and Kshatriyas form a strong vote base in this segment. Traditionally, Kammas and Kshatriyas have sailed with the TDP, while the Congress enjoyed the Reddy and Dalit votes. This time, Roja banks on her Reddy caste and her husband (film director) R.K. Selvamani’s Mudaliar caste to work wonders.
As bifurcation wreaked havoc on Congress, Mr. Chenga Reddy faced desertion by his own confidants. Having explored ‘other options’, but to no avail, the octogenarian decided to retire, but is now back with vengeance after YSRC leaders instigated him with ‘belittling comments’ during the recent civic polls. He is keen on fielding his daughter V. Satya Swaroopa Indira on behalf of the Congress. Though not very optimistic of victory, his two-pronged strategy is to dent YSRC votes and prepare the ground for his daughter by 2019.
