Tough battle ahead for Chittoor Lok Sabha seat

Tirupati: Chittoor Lok Sabha reserved constituency is a stronghold of TDP. Barring three elections out of 10 held after TDP was formed in 1983, the party candidates won on seven occasions between1984 and 2019. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s Kuppam Assembly constituency falls under this Lok Sabha limits.

The huge majority Naidu used to get in every election contributed significantly towards the victory of party’s Lok Sabha candidate also. However, in 2019 elections, YSRCP emerged victorious in six out of seven Assembly constituencies.

Even in Kuppam, Naidu’s majority was around 30,000 only and TDP candidates lost the elections in the remaining six Assembly constituencies to YSRCP. As such, YSRCP candidate N Reddeppa got a majority of 1,35,951 votes over his TDP opponent Dr N Sivaprasad.

In 2009 and 2014 elections, Sivaprasad managed to win with little margins. Though YSRCP contested in 2014 elections it could not win the seat in the first attempt but defeated TDP in 2019.

Significantly, Chittoor became a reserved seat from 2009 only and prior to the delimitation of constituencies, it was a general seat .

TDP’s D K Adikesavulu won the seat in 2004 while N Ramakrishna Reddy was elected from there consecutively for three times in 1996, 1998 and 1999. He was the father of former minister and TDP leader N Amarnatha Reddy.

In 1996, he defeated D K Adikesavulu who contested as Congress candidate. But DK later switched his loyalties to TDP and contested in 2004. Another TDP candidate NP Jhansi Lakshmi won the seat in 1984.

Congress candidate M Gnanendra Reddy was elected from Chittoor seat twice in 1989 and 1991 defeating TDP candidates. P Rajagopala Naidu also won twice in 1977 and 1980 against BLD and Janata candidates. Rajagopala Naidu was the father of former minister Galla Aruna Kumari. It was dual member constituency in 1952 and 1957 with one candidate each from general and reserved categories getting elected.

As such, between 1952 and 1971, except in 1971 by-election, seven Congress candidates were elected from Chittoor Lok Sabha constituency In 1971, NG Ranga was elected as Swatantra Party candidate.

In the coming elections, YSRCP has decided to field its sitting MP N Reddeppa once again.

Though the party leadership initially took a decision to shift him to GD Nellore Assembly constituency and announced the name of GD Nellore MLA and deputy CM K Narayana Swamy for Chittoor MP seat, subsequently, the decision was reversed and both the candidates were asked to go back to their original places.

TDP, on the other hand, has not finalised its candidate yet though several names are doing rounds. The party is said to have been considering the name of sitting Satyavedu YSRCP MLA Koneti Adimulam who recently met Lokesh and informed that he will be joining the party.

The other aspirants include cine actor-comedian Sapthagiri, former Satyavedu TDP MLA Talari Aditya among others. A clear picture on the poll prospects will emerge only when the candidates list is finalised.