ANANTAPUR: In a calculated attempt to capture the TD stronghold of Hindupur, the YSRC on Friday announced the candidature of noted business woman K. Deepika for the next Assembly polls.The announcement was made by YSRC regional coordinator and minister Peddireddy Ramchandra Reddy after he inaugurated the YSRC campaign office in Hindupur town. He also felicitated the newly elected gram panchayat sarpanch of Chalivendula.
Deepika is wife of YSRC leader Kondur Venugopal Reddy, who was reportedly a rival to MLC and former MLC Md. Iqbal, who was selected as YSRC coordinator of Hindupur Assembly segment a few days ago.
K. Deepika has established herself as a business woman in Hindupur and the family had close ties to Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The family carried forward this relationship with Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy when he formed the YSRC. Deepika is considered as the best bet to capture Hindupur Assembly segment, as she can attract two sections of voters.
Deepika and Venugopal Reddy have close contacts and support from a majority of YSRC leaders in the segment and the party high command has declared her candidature well in advance.
Hindupur’s sitting MLA is film star Nandamuri Balakrishna. Hindupur remained with the TD since 1985, with party founder NTR winning it thrice to establish his supremacy in state politics. His son Harikrishna continued the legacy, followed by the victory twice by Nandamuri Balakrishna to continue with the family legacy.
After Kuppam, Hindupur is the most important assembly segment for YSRC.
The victory for the YSRC in the gram panchayat poll was indication of party’s growing strength in Hindupur, Ramachandra Reddy observed and said, “Chandrababu Naidu has been MLA from Kuppam but soon after Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy concentrated attention on Kuppam, our party candidates won a majority of the local bodies including Kuppam municipality. We are going to win the Kuppam Assembly seat this time. Similarly, we will win the Hindupur seat too.”
Comparing the strength of TD in Hindupur with Kuppam, he assessed that the TD was not at all strong in Hindupur and has no strong leaders there. “There are no ‘Kanchukotas’ for the TD in the state after Jagan Mohan Reddy became the chief minister and implemented welfare schemes.”
“In particular, people of Hindupur are aware of how the Covid outbreak first hit Hindupur due to worse conditions in neighbouring Karnataka and how best the Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy handled the crisis. TD leaders settled in Hyderabad did no service to the people then,” he said.
He appealed to the party workers to get a huge majority for YSRC candidate Deepika. The Chief Minister would tour Hindupur at least thrice before the elections, he added.
* Bogus names in voter list identified by YSRC:
Ramachandra Reddy came down heavily on the TD over alleged inclusion of bogus voters in the electoral rolls during 2018. “As there were 3.90 crore voters, about 60 lakh of these were bogus inclusions as identified by the YSRC before the 2019 elections. The Election Commission is currently deleting the names of those bogus voters,'' he said.
He said the YSRC MPs will lodge a complaint with the ECI, seeking elimination of all bogus voter names in the electoral rolls.
