Gannavaram is hardly 20 km away from Vijayawada city, yet it is plagued with several issues pertaining to the availability of civic amenities, despite having an airport, an IT Park at Keesarapalli. Constructed in 2010, the IT Park provides over 1.75 lakh square feet space but hardly 20,000 feet space has been occupied so far.
Likewise, there are quite a few development projects that have been pending since long and many feel they will be taken up in the constituency post-bifurcation. “After bifurcation, political parties have been promising to upgrade the Gannavaram airport into a world-class one. We hope at least now there will be good roads and proper drinking water supply to the interior areas. There are places where water for irrigation is still a big problem,” says Madhava Rao, a tailor near Gandhi Chowk.
Ensuring water supply from Polavaram project canal for irrigation in Bibigudem and developing Brahmalingaiah Cheruvu into a reservoir have been long pending projects here. Voters are now keen on getting all these projects grounded and electing a good leader.
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Gannavaram constituency, with an electorate close to 2,21,540 (1,09,179 men and 1,12,343 women), is considered as a bastion of the Telugu Desam Party. Yet, it has an interesting profile when it comes to poll results. Veteran Communist Puchchalapalli Sundaraiah has won thrice from the constituency. Even Congress and independent candidates were elected from here many times.
Though 10 candidates, including three independents, are in the fray this time, a close contest is on the cards between the YSRC’s Dutta Ramachandra Rao and TDP nominee Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan. Mr. Ramachandra Rao, an MBBS, is banking on his image of “Five-rupees doctor”, while Mr. Vamsi Mohan, a veterinary doctor, has taken up many welfare programmes for the benefit of people. “A lot depends on caste equations. The constituency has sizeable Kamma, SC, Yadava and Gowda voters,” points out a teacher.
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