Vijayawada: Kapu, Kamma voters play key role in deciding fate of candidates

Vijayawada: Senior TDP leader and MLA Gadde Rammohan Rao has emerged as a strong leader in East constituency and has been elected two times consecutively in 2014 and 2019 in the State Assembly elections.

Rammohan had missed the victory by a narrow margin of 190 votes in a triangular contest in 2009. Vijayawada East constituency has sizeable population of Kamma and Kapu voters.

The constituency is located in the urban areas in the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation limits and most of the development works are mainly executed by the VMC and the State government. The densely populated constituency was bifurcated into Vijayawada East and Central Assembly constituencies in 2008 by the Election Commission.

Since then Assembly constituencies in the city increased from two to three. For the first time, elections for the three constituencies were held in 2009. The East constituency has the highest number of 2.75 lakh voters. It is expected that the YSRCP will allot ticket for the ensuing polls to the party East constituency in-charge Devineni Avinash.

The TDP may field Gadde Rammohan because he has very good track record in the constituency for over 15 years. After the abolition of Kankipadu Assembly constituency, the Kankipadu leaders shifted their activities to the Vijayawada East constituency.

In 2019 Assembly elections, TDP candidate Gadde Rammohan was elected with a majority of 15,164 votes. He had defeated his nearest rival Boppana Bhava Kumar of the YSRCP. Rammohan got 82,990 votes and Bhava Kumar got only 67,826 votes. Battina Ramu of Jana Sena party got 30,137 votes. Gadde Rammohan got 44 per cent votes and Bhava Kumar got 36.29 per cent votes.

In 2014 elections, TDP candidate Gadde Rammohan was elected by defeating his nearest rival Vangaveeti Radha Krishna of the YSRCP. Gadde Rammohan got 88,784 votes and Radha Krishna got 73,281 votes. Gadde Rammohan secured 47.95 per cent votes while Radha Krishna got 39.58 per cent votes. There was a direct fight between the TDP and YSRCP. Rammohan won with a majority of 15,503 votes.

In 2009 elections, Gadde Rammohan lost by a narrow margin of just 190 votes. There was a triangular contest among the candidates of TDP, Praja Rajyam Party and the Congress. Praja Rajyam party candidate Yelamanchili Ravi was elected from the East constituency.

After the delimitation of Assembly constituencies in 2008, the Vijayawada East constituency lost many municipal divisions in Vijayawada to Central constituency. Vijayawada Central Assembly constituency was formed in 2008 and the first time elections were held in 2009.

After abolition of Kankipadu Assembly constituency, the stalwarts of Kankipadu constituency changed their politics to Vijayawada East Assembly constituency. Former minister and TDP leader Devineni Rajasekhar Nehru had contested from the East constituency after the abolition of Kankipadu constituency.

Before 2008, Brahmin, Kapu and BC voters used to play an important role in the elections. But after the delimitation of constituencies, most of the Brahmin voters were included in the Central constituency.

Kapu and Kamma voters now play a key role in deciding the fate of the contesting candidates in the East constituency. TDP leader and sitting MLA Gadde Rammohan is expected to contest for the fourth time from the East constituency.

The YSRCP long time ago announced the name of East constituency in-charge Devineni Avinash, who is the son of Devineni Rajasekhar Nehru. Late Devineni Rajasekhar was elected five times from Kankipadu constituency.