TDP back with a bang in North Andhra

A strong anti-incumbency wave hit the other parties hard as the electorate plumped for TDP bringing back the heydays of the party in North Andhra.

TDP and its ally BJP have won 25 of the 34 Assembly seats in the north coastal districts. YSRC has won three seats in each of the districts.

Barring Araku (ST) Lok Sabha, TDP has won three Lok Sabha seats and BJP the Visakhapatnam seat. However, the results have to be officially announced.

The strong TDP wave has swept several senior leaders off their feet in the three districts. Union Ministers V. Kishore Chandra Deo and Killi Kripa Rani, former Andhra Pradesh ministers Dharmana Prasada Rao (Srikakulam), Kondru Murali (Rajam), Botcha Satyanarayana (Cheepurupalli) and P. Balaraju (Paderu) were among them.

Congress drew a blank in the three districts in both Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies.

The alliance worked wonders, with BJP State president making a comeback to electoral politics after a gap of 10 years. He trounced YSRC honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma. Senior TDP leader Ashok Gajapathi Raju is making his maiden entry into the Lok Sabha by winning in Vizianagaram. Senior TDP leader Kala Venkata Rao won from Etcherla Assembly in Srikakulam district.

Those who switched sides to TDP in the last minute registered victories indicating a strong voter preference for TDP-BJP.

Ganta Srinivasa Rao won from Bheemunipatnam for the Assembly while Muttamsetti (Avanthi) Srinivasa Rao won from Anakapalle Lok Sabha constituency in spite of being shifted there in the last minute. Gudivada Amarnath, 29, son of late Minister Gurunadha Rao, lost to him. Panchakarla Rameshbabu, who joined TDP along with Mr. Ganta Srinivasa Rao, won from Elamanchili in spite of being shifted from Pendurti.

BJP’s P. Vishnu Kumar Raju who joined the BJP a few weeks ago and nominated from Visakhapatnam North tasted victory in his debut.

Former ministers Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy made a comeback from Narsipatnam and Pendurti.

However, former minister S. Vijayarama Raju (Patapatnam) lost in spite of joining TDP.