Reddys, Kammas dominate politics in Kavali

Nellore : Kavali constituency has a peculiarity. Here the population of both Reddys and Kammas is less compared to other communities but when it comes to politics, it is these two communities which dictate terms and this has been the situation since 1952.

Kavali constituency comprises of Bogolu, Dagadarthi, Alluru mandals and has 2,39,896 voters. Of them 52,223 are SCs (20.50%) and 27,348 are STs (10.67%), Around 37% per cent are BCs and remaining were from all communities as per the 2019 voter list.

Except in 1962, one Yellampalli Penchalaiah (SC) from Congress and Beeda Masthan Rao (BC) from Telugu Desam Party in 2009, it was a contest between Reddy and Kamma community candidates in Kavali Assembly constituency.

Another interesting feature of this constituency is that neither Congress nor TDP candidates who contested from here were not from political families.

Kavali is located on Chennai-Kolkata national National Highway-16. It is a dry land area and well known for revolutionary movements. This is one constituency where Radical Students Union (RSU) and Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU) are very active making education as centre point in this constituency.

Kavali is in fact known as a place for transforming Naxalites who emerged from Revolutionary Writers Association (RWA). Noted CPM leader B V Raghavulu and other leaders from Communist partis pursued their education in Jawahar Bharathi College located in Kavali town.

Reddys of Kavali are well settled and are into the field of contract business, while Kammas are basically the landlords. These two communities never encouraged outsiders to contest the elections from this Assembly constituency.

The only one exception was Magunta Parvathamma who was from Butchireddy Palem in 2009. She was elected on Congress ticket by the voters who had expressed their gratitude to late Magunta Subbarami Reddy for initiating several developmental works incl uding supplying drinking water.

She had defeated her TDP political rival Madala Janaki Ram (hailed from Udayagiri constituency) in 2009 elections. Anam family which has represented all constituencies in the district failed to gain entry into Kavali following stiff resistance from the local people.

Since the beginning, Congress had larger participation in Kavali politics. It had represented the constituency seven times. Another noteworthy aspect is that the candidates of Kamma community mostly contested as Independents. Even NTR it is said had encouraged candidates from BC and Reddy communities here.

Despite lack of support from major political parties Kammas won the elections three times twice as Independents and once under TDP banner by defeating the dominant Reddy community in this constituency.

Gottipati Subbula Naidu In 1967 and Gottipati Kondapa Naidu in 1972 had won from here and both were Independents. After TDP was formed one Pathalapalli Vengala Rao got elected in 1983 elections.

During Chandrababu Naidu ‘s regime, Kavali canal was renamed after Gottipati Kondapa Naidu in recognition of the servic3e rendered by him to the Kavali constituency.

The TDP has represented the constituency three times - Pathala Palli Vengala Rao (1983), Ventaru Venugopala Reddy (1999) and Beeda Masthan Rao (2009) (present YSRCP Rajya Sabha member). YSR Congress Party candidate Ramireddy Prathap Kumar Reddy got elected in 2014 and 2019.