A truck driver, an MNREGS worker, a goldsmith, and a teacher were some of the homegrown party workers from humble backgrounds who got an opportunity to plunge into politics on a YSRCP ticket for the upcoming elections.
The YSRCP, as part of its social engineering exercise, provided an opportunity to the commoners, and some of them were pitted against the senior politicians as well.
The YSRCP leaders say that their president, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was impressed with the determination and work for the welfare of the people and made him finalise their names for the Assembly elections, the leaders say.
Mannepakula Veeranjaneyulu, a resident of Bandameedapalli in Singanamala mandal, is a truck driver. He is now the YSRCP candidate for the Singanamala SC reserved constituency. He has been associated with the YSRCP since its inception.
Similarly, Eera Lakkappa, an MNREGS worker, is being fielded from Madakasira. Mr. Lakappa, a humble party activist, hails from a simple farmer’s family in the Madakashira constituency in the erstwhile Anantapur district.
Khaleel Ahmad, a resident of Nellore town, is a goldsmith. During his college days, he was a DYFI activist and a DYFI town committee member. He joined the YSRCP in 2011 and earns a living in a gold jewellery shop. He will contest against the former Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister and TDP leader P. Narayana.
Sarnala Tirupati Rao, a Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) member, from Mylavaram in NTR district, is gearing up to face MLA Vasantha Venakta Krishna Prasad. Incidentally, Mr. Vasantha Krishna Prasad was YSRCP MLA from 2019 from the same constituency. He joined the TDP recently.
The same is true for Regam Mathyalingam. He was a teacher until the last local body elections when he became a ZPTC member from Hukumpet mandal in Araku and is now the party candidate for the Araku Assembly constituency.
And such a trend is being witnessed not just in Madakasira but in several other constituencies, too, where Mr. Jagan has fielded commoners. Back in 2019, the YSRCP fielded commoners like Nandigam Suresh and Goddeti Madhavi, who went on to become MPs from Bapatla and Araku Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively. It is pertinent to note that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy has given 50% reservation to people belonging to marginalized groups in the elections.
When contacted, YSRCP State general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said that the YSRCP gave tickets to commoners with a view that marginalised sections should be encouraged by giving an opportunity. Many of them don’t even have a vehicle to tour the constituency. The party has provided them with logistics, he said.
