Gurumoorthy appears to be ahead of pack

Tirupati: Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency is bracing up for an intense poll battle between the ruling YSRCP and BJP candidate while Congress party and some other candidates are also expected to be in the fray. YSRCP will be represented by its sitting MP Dr M Gurumoorthy while BJP has fielded former Tirupati MP and sitting Gudur MLA from YSRCP V Varaprasad. From Congress, six-time MP Chinta Mohan will be trying his luck again.

Having clinched victory in both the 2014 and 2019 elections, the YSRCP has established a stronghold in the region, with candidates V Varaprasad and B Dugraprasada Rao emerging triumphant on those occasions. However, following Durgaprasada Rao's untimely demise, YSRCP leader Gurumoorthy secured the seat in a byelection held in 2021.

Historically, TDP has struggled to make an impact in the constituency, enduring defeat in 10 elections over the past four decades and claiming victory only once in 1984. Notably, even the 1984 winner, Chinta Mohan, later shifted allegiance to the Congress party.

Despite the TDP having allotted the seat to its ally BJP on three occasions, its electoral success has been limited, winning only once.

In the upcoming election, BJP candidate Varaprasada Rao will contest on behalf of the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance, maintaining the tradition of a triangular contest in Tirupati Lok Sabha elections, supplemented by smaller parties vying for representation. Notably, former civil servant G S R K Vijaya Kumar of the Liberation Congress Party already submitted his nomination on Thursday.

Still, the sitting YSRCP MP Gurumoorthy appeared to be the frontrunner in the Tirupati Lok Sabha fray. His non-controversial soft nature and development-oriented approach have earned him fame in his short span as MP.

Gurumoorthy also believes that his development initiatives will be his major strengths. Already, he could get several works sanctioned by the ministries concerned while some other projects are progressing at different stages.

On the other hand, Varaprasad has been getting support from TDP and Jana Sena parties as well. He joined the BJP in the morning and could secure the ticket by evening. However, his candidacy has faced scrutiny for what some perceive as a lack of community engagement. Somehow, the YSRCP also denied him the ticket for the second term and redirected him to Gudur Assembly seat. And it even denied that ticket to him this time around. These factors have become a topic of discussion among people.

Meanwhile, Congress stalwart Chinta Mohan, who once dominated the constituency, has seen a decline in electoral fortunes since his last victory in 2009. Despite his diminishing vote share in recent elections, Mohan has remained active in local affairs, consistently advocating for his party's agenda.

Against the backdrop of YSRCP's welfare initiatives and Gurumoorthy's individual accomplishments, the upcoming election promises to be a contest between established incumbency and the burgeoning popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bolstered by TDP and JSP support. The performance of the Congress party, after a decade marked by challenges following the state's bifurcation, remains a point of interest.