A win in his constituency of Kuppam saved the blushes for former Chief Minister and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu in a disastrous election that saw his home district of Chittoor being swept by the YSRCP.
Led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, a resurgent YSRCP captured all of the constituencies in Chittoor district save Kuppam Assembly segment.
However, the TDP president’s victory margin came down sharply to 30,000 votes — a steady fall compared to the margin of 59,588 votes in 2004, 46,066 votes in 2009 and 47,121 votes in the 2014 elections.
Giving Mr. Naidu a run for his money was the YSRCP’s K. Chandramouli, a retired government official who narrowly missed out on earning a reputation of a giant-killer.
Clinical sweep
YSRCP strongman Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, who romped home in Punganur, effortlessly steered several consituencies in western Chittoor to victory. Apart from ensuring the victory of his brother P. Dwarakanath Reddy from Thamballapalle and son P.V. Midhun Reddy from Rajampet Lok Sabha seat, his role in the win of Nawaz Basha (Madanapalle), M.S. Babu (Puthalapattu), K. Narayanaswamy (Gangadhara Nellore), A. Srinivasulu (Chittoor) and Venkate Gowda (Palamaner) is there for all to see, say party sources.
While the voters backed three TDP MPs from the state who had vociferously demanded Special Category Status (SCS) in Parliament, Chittoor (SC) MP N. Sivaprasad, who attracted attention with his live performances and theatrics in different guises, tasted defeat at the hands of newcomer N. Reddeppa.
Though a tough fight was expected in Chandragiri and Nagari, YSRCP candidates Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy and R.K. Roja won with ease over TDP rivals Pulivarthi Nani and Gali Bhanuprakash respectively.
A close involvement with cadres at the ground level and a tacit support from BJP workers are believed to have worked in the favour of YSRCP candidate B. Madhusudhan Reddy in Srikalahasti.
Close call in Tirupati
After anxious moments, YSRCP state spokesperson Bhumana Karunakar Reddy won in Tirupati by a slender margin of 700 votes against sitting MLA M. Suguna.
There was no indication of cross-voting, as the assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies witnessed similar patterns. In the Tirupati (SC) Lok Sabha seat, Panabaka Lakshmi, who dumped the Congress and joined the TDP, was defeated by Balli Durgaprasad, former TDP MLA from Gudur who had switched sides to the YSRCP.
Interestingly, all the Assembly seats in Tirupati LS, such as Tirupati, Srikalahasti, Satyavedu (Chittoor district), Gudur (SC), Sullurpeta (SC), Venkatagiri and Sarvepalli (SPSR Nellore district) went to the YSRCP.
Similarly, all assembly seats in Rajampet LS such as Madanapalle, Punganur, Thamballapalle and Piler (Chittoor district), Railway Koduru, Rajampet and Rayachoti (Kadapa district) went the YSRCP’s way.
