Kuppam: A young David takes on battle-hardened Goliath

Kuppam : A young, fiery contender from YSRCP, K R J Bharath has thrown his hat into the political ring contesting from Kuppam Assembly seat which had remained under the iron-fisted grip of TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, the aging warhorse of Andhra politics.

The former chief minister’s electoral prowess was simply unmatched in these parts, with a staggering seven consecutive, unchallenged victories that had rendered this rugged constituency his impregnable personal citadel.

But as the scorching May winds heralded the 2024 polls, a fresh challenge emerged from the most unlikely of quarters, a 35-year-old firebrand named Bharath from the ranks of YSRCP.

In the rough and tumble arena of regional politics, Bharath is relatively new, his audacious David-like temerity in taking on Naidu's deeply entrenched Goliath sending shockwaves through Kuppam's narrow bylanes.

“This is a class war!" Bharath thundered at rallies, his voice laced with steely conviction. “It is a battle between the party’s chief Jagan Mohan Reddy’s pro-poor welfare schemes that have truly uplifted the masses, and the hollow promises peddled by the rich and elite opposition to secure votes,” Bharath told in an interview with PTI.

Though lacking 74-year old Naidu’s extensive experience, Bharath drew strength from Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s raft of pro-poor welfare schemes implemented over the last five years.

He said not right candidates were fielded in the past against Naidu to break his personal fiefdom until his late father K Chandramouli from YSRCP in 2014 and 2019 elections gave a serious fight reducing the vote share, he said.

The vote share of YSRCP has increased since 2014 elections from 33.95 per cent to 38.25 per cent in 2019, as per the official data. There were 2.13 lakh electors as of 2019 in the Kuppam Assembly constituency.

Bharath, who lost his father during Covid-19 pandemic and secured a ticket this time, wants to break Naidu's winning streak from Kuppam.

He alleged that for generations, the former CM's strong-arm tactics had cowed Kuppam's masses into obedient submission, with “intimidation, land grabs and institutionalised oppression” cementing the TDP's hegemonic control.

“The shackles have finally been broken under Jagan's rule,” he said. “87 per cent of our beneficiaries receive rations, pensions and housing without needing permission from feudal lords any longer.” Further, YSRCP swept all local body elections in Kuppam.

Out of the 89 panchayats, the party won 85, leaving the rest to TDP, he said exuding confidence of winning the Kuppam Assembly seat. Taking direct aim at Naidu’s unfulfilled promises of job creation and industrial development, Bharath pointed out how generations of Kuppam's youth had been forced to migrate for employment.

The wily veteran boasted of the Kia Motors plant but chose Anantapur over Naidu's own turf, despite both being equidistant from Bengaluru.

“If he couldn't prioritise his constituency's development despite being chief minister for 14 years, how can we trust his words now,” Bharath asked.

Asked about Naidu’s camp crying foul over rising rowdyism and land grabs under YSRCP rule, Bharath remained unfazed and said: “It is they who grabbed land and abused power to strike fear in the people’s hearts. We merely returned what was rightfully theirs”.

With each blistering salvo, the stakes soared higher than the scorching May temperatures.

He divulged statistics, saying 87 per cent of Kuppam’s population had benefited from Jagan's welfare initiatives, seeking to counter accusations of selective bias.

With Kuppam's very soul on the line, this high-octane faceoff would reshape Andhra's political destiny forever.

Could Bharath's gritty upstart campaign coupled with Jagan's welfare agenda finally breach Naidu's long-inviolable bastion? Or would the fading aura of the aging satrap conjure up one final trick to protect his turf? No matter the outcome, this high-stakes husting, on May 13, would indelibly reshape the state's political destiny.