YSRCP looks to have an edge in Madanapalle

Tirupati: The TDP’s ambition to secure the Madanapalle Assembly seat after three unsuccessful attempts appears to have been thwarted by the electorate once again. The constituency, once part of Chittoor district and now in Annamayya district, elected a Congress candidate in 2009 and YSRCP candidates in 2014 and 2019.

Previously a TDP stronghold with its candidates winning five times from 1983 to 2004, the party has struggled to reclaim victory since then. In the last two elections, YSRCP fielded new candidates each time and continued this trend by nominating debutant S Nisar Ahamed, opting not to give a second term to M Nawaz Basha, the incumbent MLA. The TDP, on the other hand, fielded former MLA M Shajahan Basha, who served from 2009-2014 after winning on a Congress ticket.

This election saw a high voter turnout, with an unprecedented 75.11 percent of the 266950 registered voters casting their ballots, amounting to 200247 votes.

This is an increase from the 73.44 percent turnout in 2019 and 69.57 percent in 2014. The higher poll percentages have led to intense speculation among both parties about the electorate’s leanings.

The political scenario in the constituency suggests that YSRCP’s Nisar Ahamed has a slight edge over TDP’s Shajahan Basha. Nisar Ahamed, a first-time candidate with a polite demeanour and worked as an engineer, has garnered positive attention.

In contrast, Shajahan Basha faces scrutiny over his performance during his previous term as MLA from 2014-2019. Further, the non-cooperation from TDP and JSP leaders was the main factor worrying him and affecting his fortunes.

In the constituency, Balija vote bank is larger than that of Muslims. Still, as part of social equations, both the parties chose this constituency to give tickets to Muslim candidates.

However, leaders from the dominant Kamma and Reddy communities have shown reluctance in supporting TDP candidate as their hopes were shattered. There was a view that some of them even worked against the TDP candidate. This discontent among TDP ticket aspirants has further troubled Shajahan’s position.

It was learnt that even Jana Sena Party leaders have not extended their support to TDP candidate. Its leader G Ramadoss Choudary was a strong aspirant for the ticket as his wife Swathi got 14600 votes in 2019 contesting on Jana Sena Party ticket without any alliance.

These dynamics seem to favour the YSRCP nominee. The final outcome, revealing whether the people will elect a new MLA or return the former MLA, will be known on June 4.