Udaya Bhanu, Tataiah to clash for 4th time in a row in Jaggaiahpet

Vijayawada: Two-time MLA and senior TDP leader Sriram Rajagopal Tataiah will face YSRCP candidate and three- time MLA Samineni Udaya Bhanu in the Assembly polls in Jaggaiahpet Assembly constituency in elections due on May 13. The two leaders have so far fought the polls three times in a row in 2009, 2014 and 2019 and contesting fourth time in 2024.

Both leaders have strong influence in their respective political parties and able to get ticket in spite of competition from other aspirants. Udaya Bhanu won the 2019 elections by defeating Tataiah. Udaya Bhanu secured 87,965 votes and Tataiahgot 83,187 votes. In spite of YSRCP wave in the state, the TDP nominee could manage to garner 47.23 percent votes as against the winner Udaya Bhanu’s 49.95 percent. The margin was just only 2.72 percent.

In 2014 elections, Rajagopal Tataiahwon by a margin of only 1.11 percent votes. Rajagopal Tataiahgot 82,939 votes and Udaya Bhanu secured 79,093 votes. The margin of votes was only 3,846 votes.

In 2009 elections, Rajagopal Tataiahwon by a big margin of 9,678 votes. He secured 75,107 votes and Udaya Bhanu managed to get 65,429 votes. There was a difference of 6.53 percent votes.

Now, the two leaders Rajagopal Tataiahand Udaya Bhanu are facing off again in 2024. Rajagopal Tataiahis the alliance candidate of TDP-Jana Sena-BJP.

As per the latest information, Jaggaiahpet constituency has 2,03,566 voters. Among them, 97,658 are men, 1,05,896 are women and 12 third gender voters as on March 16, 2024.

Number of polling stations in the constituency is 33. The constituency has Jaggaiahpet, Penuganchiprolu, Vatsavai and partly Nandigama mandals under its limits.

Udaya Bhanu first time contested in 1999 on behalf of Congress Party and won defeating the TDP nominee Nettem Raghuram. He was elected again in 2004 by defeating the same candidate. He won third time in 2019.

Rajagopal Tataiahhad defeated Udaya Bhanu two times in 2009 and 2014.

Rajagopal Tataiahcontested three times and won two times. Now he is contesting fourth time in a row. Rajagopal Tataiahbelongs to Arya Vysya caste and has good number of supporters in the constituency. He was defeated with less than 3 percent votes in 2019.

Interesting battle is expected in Jaggaiahpet as the two leaders have good election strategy and knew how to win the elections.

Anti-incumbency factor may be helpful to RajagopalTataiah. Moreover, the TDP is contesting in alliance with Jana Sena and BJP.

Kamma, Kapu, Arya Vysya, BC and Dalit voters are in sizeable numbers. Udaya Bhanu is from Kapu caste and one of the senior Kapu leaders of NTR district. Both Udaya Bhanu and Rajagopal Tataiahwere on Congress and changed their loyalty to YSRCP and TDP respectively.

Udaya Bhanu had a put a brake in 2019 elections on the hat-trick of Rajagopal Tataiah.