All eyes on counting of votes in NTR district

Vijayawada: All eyes are on the counting of votes to be held on Tuesday for the seven Assembly segments and Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency in NTR district. The elections were held on May 13 and counting of votes will be held from 8 am onwards on Tuesday at the Nova Engineering College and Nimra Engineering College in Ibrahimpatnam.

The Election Commission has made all arrangements for the counting of votes. The main fight is between the ruling YSRCP and the NDA parties-- the TDP, BJP and Jana Sena. Anxiety grips the contestants, political leaders, supporters of the political parties, cadre and the voters on the results to be declared on Tuesday.

Close contest is expected in the Assembly segments of Vijayawada East, Jaggaiahpet and Nandigama segments. As per the exit polls released in the state, NDA candidates may win in Vijayawada Central and Mylavaram segments. YSRCP candidates may win Vijayawada West and Tiruvuru Assembly constituencies. In the Mylavaram segment, TDP leader Vasanta Krishna Prasad has an edge over his rival S Tirupati Yadav of YSRCP. Vasanta Krishna Prasad is the sitting MLA and defected from YSRCP to TDP. Tirumala Yadav contested for the first time in the Assembly elections.

Senior politician and three times MLA Samineni Udaya Bhanu contested on behalf of YSRCP in Jaggaiahpet. Two times MLA and the TDP leader Sriram Rajagopal contested from Jaggaiahpet. Close contest is expected in Jaggaiahpet.

In Tiruvuru, YSRCP candidate Nallagatla Swamy Das has an edge over his rival, the TDP candidate K Srinivasa Rao. Swamy Das earlier won from the same Tiruvuru SC reserved segment. Srinivas is the non-local candidate and has no vast contacts with the local people and voters.

TDP leader Tangirala Sowmya contested from Nandigama (SC) segment. The YSRCP has fielded sitting MLA Monditoka Jaganmohana Rao. Nandigama is the SC reserved constituency. Tangirala Sowmya was earlier elected from the same segment after the death of her father Tangirala Prabhakar. Close contest is on cards in Nandigama.

In Vijayawada Central constituency, TDP candidate Bonda Umamaheswara Rao has an edge as per exit polls. The YSRCP candidate Velampalli Srinivas earlier won from Vijayawada West constituency two times. The YSRCP has fielded Srinivas from the Central segment this time. He has no followers and contacts with voters of the Central constituency. Change of constituency from West to Central may affect the winning prospects of Velampalli Srinivas.

Sitting MLA and three times MLA Gadde Rammohan contested from Vijayawada East segment. The YSRCP has fielded Devineni Avinash. Tight contest is expected in the East segment.

Former union minister Sujana Chowdary contested from Vijayawada West segment as BJP candidate. The YSRCP has fielded Shaik Asif. Shaik Asif is a local candidate and has an edge as per the exit polls.

Very close contest is expected between the Kesineni brothers for Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency. Elder brother and sitting MP Kesineni Srinivas alias Nani contested on behalf of YSRCP and his younger brother Kesineni Chinni contested as an alliance candidate. Both leaders have a large number of supporters and followers. Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat is one of the prestigious constituencies for the political parties in the State. Kesineni earlier won two times from TDP in 2014 and 2019. He contested on behalf of YSRCP in the elections held on May 13.May 13.