No candidate won second time in a row here

Vijayawada: Vijayawada West Assembly constituency has unique distinction of not electing the same candidate twice in a row since the constituency was formed in 1967. The voters of Vijayawada west Assembly segment had been given chance for Congress, CPI, Praja Rajyam Party, TDP and YSRCP candidates.

West is well known for commercial activity with a large number of wholesale and retail shops located in old city. World famous Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy temple is located in West constituency.

With elections not far away, the number of aspirants is increasing.

YSRCP had emerged dominant force in the West constituency and the party candidates Jaleel Khan and Velampalli Srinivas were elected in 2014 and 2019 respectively. Jaleel Khan later shifted his loyalty to the TDP and became strong critic of YSRCP.

The TDP has issued party ticket to Shabana Musarat Khatoon, the daughter of Jaleel Khan in the 2019 elections from West constituency.

She was defeated in the polls by the YSRCP.

The YSRCP candidate Velampalli Srinivas won the elections by a margin of 7,671 votes. He got 58,435 votes while the TDP got 50,764 votes and Jana Sena candidate Potina Mahesh receied 22,367 votes.

In recent years, the number of North Indian voters also increased in the constituency as many families from Rajasthan and other states have settled in the West constituency. This time TDP leaders Buddha Venkanna is strongly lobbying to contest the polls in 2024. Jana Sena leader Potina Mahesh is also in the race.

Muslims, Arya Vysyas, Nagaralu and the SC voters are in sizeable numbers and will play key role in the elections. The elections were held 14 times to the Assembly constituency and the Left parties and Congress dominated the elections in the constituency from 1967 to 1978.

In 1982, the TDP candidate B S Jayaraju won the elections by defeating U Ramachandra Raju of the CPI. The influence of Left parties and the Congress was very high for over three decades but gradually it has now faded away.

The TDP used to give the West Assembly seat to the Left parties as part of the alliance. Voters have tendency of defeating the sitting MLAs whatever the party they represent and whatever their performance as the MLA and their personal image.

Two MLAs elected from the segment MK Baig and Velampalli Srinivas worked as ministers. MK Baig was the minister for technical education in the Congress government which was formed in 1989 and Velampalli Srinivas got the portfolio of endowments minister in Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Cabinet.

Jaleel Khan, Velampalli Srinivas, Marupilla Chitti, Tammina Poturaju were elected twice from the constituency.

K Subbaraju, Shaik Nasar Vali, Asif Pasha, B S Jayaraju, U Ramachandra Raju were elected one time. The fight this time will be between YSRCP and TDP-Jana Sena combine.