Two women fighting to capture Penukonda

Penukonda (Sri Sathya Sai district) : Penukonda Assembly constituency had been a TDP fortress for over two decades. The constituency became a TDP bastion with Paritala Ravindra, an ex-Maoist joining TDP at the invitation of TDP founder-president N T Rama Rao. In 1994 Assembly elections, Paritala Ravindra, as fondly called by supporters, was elected MLA. In the 1990s and until his assassination in 2005, faction feuds ruled the roost until the demon of faction feuds claimed the life of both Maddilacheruvu Suryanarayana alias Suri and Paritala Ravindra.

Ravindra was elected MLA in 1994, 1999 and in 2004. The constituency has five mandals of Parigi, Penukonda, Gorantla, Somandepalle and Roddam.

TDP district president B K Parthasaradhi was elected MLA in 2009 and 2014 from Penukonda. In 2019, Parthasaradhi unsuccessfully contested against YSRCP candidate Malagundla Sankara Narayana.

For 2024 elections, Parthasaradhi is replaced with a woman candidate Somandepalli Savitha. Recently, Savitha was introduced to the electorate by party president N Chandrababu Naidu at a well-attended public meeting in Penukonda.

Savitha is highly confident of winning the election, the seat being a traditional stronghold of TDP. Kia Motors stands as a symbol of TDP’s achievements. Kia changed the face of the constituency triggering socio-economic development in the region.

Savitha told 'The Hans India' that she would work for expansion of ancillary industries by working with Kia management and also for the industrialisation of the constituency. She welcomed NACIN at Palasamudram, recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of special package under 2014 AP Reorganisation Act.

Savitha promised to create jobs for the unemployed youth. She expressed optimism that the TDP and alliance partners would storm to power in a couple of months and redefine Andhra Pradesh.

The sitting MLA of Penukonda, M Sankara Narayana, of YSRCP has been nominated as MP candidate for Anantapur parliamentary constituency. In his place, women and child welfare minister K Usha Sri Charan has been nominated as YSRCP candidate for Penukonda. She is the sitting MLA of Kalyanadurg constituency.

Savitha says that the fact that Usha Sri Charan being a non-local is relevant here and that it would be a cakewalk for her to win the elections. She also promised to do her best for the establishment of the medical college announced for Penukonda by the YSRCP government.