For Addanki voters, only individuals matter

Ongole: The people of the Addanki Assembly constituency proved that they are more loyal to the persons than their political affiliations, for the last few elections.

The political rivalry between Karanam, Bachina and Gottipati families in the region is visible in the elections of Martur and Addanki Assembly constituencies.

Addanki Assembly constituency consists of Janakavaram Panguluru, Addanki, Santhamaguluru, Ballikurava and Korisapadu mandals. During the delimitation of constituencies in 2008, the Martur Assembly constituency was divided and its area was merged in Parchuru, Addanki and Darsi Assembly constituencies.

This delimitation made the influenced areas of Karanam Balarama Krishnamurthy and Gottipati families also split into Parchuru, Darsi and Addanki Assembly constituencies.

Martur constituency was formed in 1955 and became defunct from the 2009 elections. In the nine elections held between 1955 and 2004, the TDP won five times consecutively between 1983 and 1999, followed by the Congress party twice in 1962 and 2004. Karanam Balaram was MLA in 1985 and 1989, while the Gottipati family won in 1983, 1994, and 1999 on the TDP ticket and in 2004 on the Congress ticket.

It is Gottipati Ravi Kumar, who was the last MLA from Martur constituency. Addanki Assembly constituency also existed since the 1955 elections and has been a stronghold of the TDP since its inception in 1983. Karanam Balaram won in 1978 on the Indian National Congress ticket while Bachina Chenchu Garataiah won Addanki in 1983, 1985, 1994 and 1999 on behalf of the Telugu Desam Party. Karanam Balaram again won in 2004 on TDP ticket. Gottipati Ravi Kumar has been the MLA of Addanki since 2009, but he contested on the ticket of a different party each time since then. In 2009, he won on the Congress party ticket. Subsequently, he joined the YSR Congress Party and won on its ticket in 2014, but defected to TDP later. In 2019, he contested on the TDP ticket and registered a comfortable victory.

Of the 2,09,606 valid votes polled in the 2019 elections for the Addanki Assembly constituency, TDP candidate Gottipati Ravi Kumar received 1,05,545 votes while Bachina Chenchu Garataiah of YSRCP got 92,554 votes. The Addanki constituency is dominated by Kammas, followed by SCs and BCs.

Addanki and Martur constituencies used to witness faction-type politics among Karanam, Bachina and Gottipati families.

Gottipati Ravi Kumar joined the YSR Congress Party with many people from the Congress Party after the party was established. He later switched his loyalty to TDP, after winning on the YSRCP ticket in 2014. Ravi Kumar is the only candidate, who won in 2019 from among the 23 YSRCP MLAs who defected to the TDP after the 2014 elections.

After the YSRCP was voted to power in 2019, Ravi Kumar suffered huge losses in his businesses, including the granite industries. Many granite businessmen of TDP joined the YSRCP to protect their industries from shutdowns and raids of government agencies, but Ravi Kumar stood firm with the TDP. He will be the candidate for TDP in the 2024 elections.

After Ravi Kumar joined TDP, Bachina Chenchu Garataiah and his son Bachina Krishna Chaitanya shifted their loyalty to the YSRCP. Chenchu Garataiah contested against Ravi Kumar but failed to woo the people in 2019. Since then, the YSRCP made Krishna Chaitanya as the in-charge and improved the pace of the activity at Addanki constituency, while completely keeping Ravi Kumar at bay. But, recent changes of in-charges for YSRCP also affected Addanki.

The appointment of Panem Hanimireddy, with the support of Y V Subba Reddy, as the YSRCP in-charge of Addanki infuriated Krishna Chaitanya and his supporters. The poll pundits expect that Krishna Chaitanya may contest as an Independent candidate in the ensuing polls. Krishna Chaitanya contesting as a YSRCP rebel will also affect the voting in support of YSRCP at Darsi and Parchur.

Meanwhile, the analysts also expect that the YSRCP would bring Karanam Balaram or Venkatesh to Addanki if the situation is out of control, to reactivate Karanam family supporters and take advantage of them.