Udayagiri constituency dominated by Reddys, Kammas

Nellore: The Udayagiri which has been under the rule of Gajapathis of Odisha, and Srikrishnadevaraya of Vijayanagaram in 14th and 15th centuries turned into an Assembly constituency after India became Republic in 1952.

The Udayagiri constituency which is a symbol ofcommunal harmony provided political entry to former Vice-President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu as he was elected to Andhra Pradesh State Assembly twice in 1978 as a Janata party candidate and later as a BJP candidate in 1983.

Muslim minorities constitute 25.84% of the population in Udayagiri constituency while the BCs are 20%. Among the BCs, a majority are from Yadava community. The remaining 54% people belong to various other castes.

However, in the State Assembly polls since 1952, a Muslim minority representative and a Yadava representative got elected only one time each. Shaik Moulana Saheb got elected in 1952 and Ponnaboyina Chenchu Ramaiah (Yadava Community) in 1972. During all other polls, either Reddys or Kammas were elected from the constituency.

In 2024 elections, the fight is likely to be between Bollineni Rama Rao (TDP) and YSRCP’s Mekapati Rajagopala Reddy.

Since 1952, Congress emerged victorious seven times - Shaik Moulana Saheb (1955), Puli Venku Reddy (1962), Ponnaboyina Chenchu Ramaiah (1972), Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy (1985), Madala Janaki Ram (1989) and Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy (2004 and 2009) .

Praja Party representative Kovi Ramaiah Choudari registered victory in 1952.

TDP represented this constituency twice - Kambam Vijayarami Reddy (1999) and Bolleneni Venkata Rama Rao (2014).

Twice Independent candidates won the election. Dhanekula Narasimham (1967) and Kambam Vijayarami Reddy in 1994.

Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy as YSRCP candidate won the election from the constituency in 2019 polls.

Mostly, either Reddys or Kammas dominated from the beginning in the constituency. Representatives of these two communities had settled down either as contractors are have flourished in the real estate business. People from other communities opted for agriculture and other professions.

The Udayagiri constituency comprises the mandals of Udayagiri, Vinjamuru, Duthaluru, Seetharamapuram, Kaligiri, Jaladanki and Varikuntapadu.

There are total 2,31,202 voters in Udayagiri constituency. Of these, 1,25,747 are men and 1,15,440 women. On an average, the voter turnout recorded in the constituency during State Assembly polls ranged between 60 and 70%.