Kadapa waits for poll verdict with bated breath
KADAPA: The erstwhile undivided Kadapa district has always remained a bastion of the YS family for the past two decades. But it seems to be tough for the YS family this time, going by the feedback from the ground level, and the increased voter turnout in the elections.
When former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy headed the Congress, and later when YS Jagan Mohan Reddy floated his own YSRC, the people of the district largely stood by the YS family.
Now, the question is will the YSRC, which made a clean sweep by winning all the 10 Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats in 2019, repeat the feat? In the run-up to the elections, YSRC cadre made every effort to ensure that the party gets the majority of votes in all the 10 Assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha segments. However, the cadre though outwardly confident, appears to be apprehensive inwards over the poll outcome.
In 2004, the district had 11 constituencies, and the Congress under the YSR leadership, won nine, while the TDP bagged Rayachoti and Kamalapuram. In 2009, after delimitation, the number of constituencies came down to 10.PauseMute
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However, the Congress maintained its winning streak, and continued to hold the nine Assembly constituencies. The TDP got Proddatur.
In the 2014 elections, the YSRC, which was largely made of those who parted ways with the Congress, secured nine seats, and the TDP could win Rajampet. In 2019, all the 10 constituencies in the district were bagged by the YSRC in Jagan’s wave.
Now, not just the people of Kadapa, but the entire State, are eagerly waiting for June 4 to know how many seats the YSRC will win. Intense discussions on the possible poll verdict are happening everywhere, including tea stalls on street corners and other public places.
In all, 13,04,256 voters of the total 16,39,066 have cast their votes in the elections, registering 79.57% polling in the district. The highest voter turnout of 86.68% was registered in Jammalamadugu, followed by Mydukur (84.82%), Kamalapuram (84.44%) and Pulivendula (81.34%).
There seems to be a tough fight between the YSRC and the TDP in Kadapa, Proddatur, Mydukur, Kamalapuram and Rajampet Assembly segments. It’s a known fact that both the parties offered Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 per vote in key segments. One has to wait till June to know whether the YSRC maintains its hold on the district or not, observed a political analyst.
