The election to the Tirupati Assembly seat is significant in many ways. The first is that of the 17 constituencies going to the by-elections, this is the only one facing the by-poll on a non-Jagan related issue.
In other words, this is the only seat going for the by-election on an issue not connected with the disqualification of the 17 pro-Jagan Congress MLAs and an MP (Nellore) by the Assembly Speaker.
Heavyweights' home-ground
The by-election to the prestigious seat was rather forced with its sitting incumbent and the ex-Praja Rajyam founder, Chiranjeevi, relinquishing it after the Congress high command ‘promoted' him to the Rajya Sabha after he merged his political outfit with the Congress. Another reason which makes the by-election to Tirupati unique is that it is the home-ground of the Chief Minister, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, as well, which has locked them in a proxy war for the seat.
The Congress has chosen M. Venkatramana, who won the seat in the 2004 election and for the TDP, it is Chadalawada Krishnamurthy, who held the seat until he lost to Mr Venkatramana in the 2004 election.
Muscle-flexing
In 2009, however, in the backdrop of the emergence of Mr Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam, then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy denied the ticket to Mr Venkatramana and instead gave it to B. Karunakar Reddy who lost to Mr Chiranjeevi.
Tough fight
Interestingly, Mr Karunakar Reddy is now flexing his muscles on behalf of the YSRCP and trying to give a tough fight both to the Congress and the TDP candidates.
Caste factor
The caste factor could play a major role in the by-poll. As such, the YSRCP, which fielded Mr Karunakar Reddy, is pinning its hopes on the Reddy votes and a sizeable percentage of SC, Muslim and Christian votes. Similarly, the TDP is eyeing the votes of Kammas, besides a big slice of the 75,000 votes of BCs, who, it claims, are with the party since its inception. Though the Balija community also constitutes a sizeable percentage in the constituency, it is in for a sharp division between the TDP and the Congress candidates as both belong to the same community.
