For Arani, community is strength

Tirupati: Arani Srinivasulu, a prominent leader from the influential Balija community, has carved a unique political journey, having twice been elected as an MLA from two different cities. In 2019, the people of Chittoor chose him as their representative and this time, the voters of Tirupati have sent him to the Assembly. Over his more than two-decade-long political career, Srinivasulu also known as Jangalapalli Srinivasulu, has switched parties four times in a bid to find his political footing.

Hailing from Chittoor, Srinivasulu established JMC Constructions which mainly undertakes road works. His formal political journey began when megastar Chiranjeevi launched the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) as he joined in and secured an MLA ticket in the 2009 elections. Despite a valiant effort, he narrowly lost to Congress leader C K Babu by a mere 1,710 votes. He was well encouraged by former MP D K Adikesavulu and other leaders of his community.

When PRP was merged with Congress, Srinivasulu left PRP to join TDP, eventually becoming its district president. However, when the TDP again denied him a ticket, he switched to YSRCP in 2014. He contested from Chittoor but was defeated by the TDP candidate. Perseverance paid off in 2019 when YSRCP reposed faith in him, and he finally won the seat.

In March this year, when YSRCP decided to field another candidate from Chittoor, Srinivasulu swiftly joined the Jana Sena Party, resulting in his suspension from YSRCP. Jana Sena, in alliance with other parties, asked him to contest from Tirupati. Entering the political fray in Tirupati, Srinivasulu initially faced strong opposition from TDP, JSP and BJP, which later subsided following intervention by party leaders.

Despite these challenges casting doubt on his electoral prospects, Srinivasulu triumphed, defeating the YSRCP candidate in Tirupati by a substantial margin of 61,956 votes.

During his tenure as Chittoor MLA, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Chittoor Urban Development Authority, demonstrating his commitment to the development of the region.