Vijayawada: First-timers sweat it out to score a win in Krishna

Vijayawada : First time contestants in Assembly elections in erstwhile Krishna district are campaigning vigorously to woo the voters and enter Assembly. These first-timers are facing strong opponents in some constituencies who include former ministers, sitting MLAs and senior politicians.

In Vijayawada West Assembly constituency, YSRCP candidate Shaik Asif is facing the former Union minister Sujana Chowdary of BJP. The BJP leader is contesting as an NDA alliance candidate and canvassing in the constituency, meeting the voters and associations for the past two weeks. Sujana Chowdary (Y V Satyanarayana Chowdary) is a senior politician and had earlier worked as the Union minister and is a noted entrepreneur.

Shaik Asif is the chairman of the Minority Finance Corporation and first-time contesting the Assembly elections. The first-time candidates are sweating it out in Machilipatnam, Vijayawada West, Tiruvuru, Gudivada, Pamarru, Pedana and Mylavaram.

In Mylavaram the first-time contestant S Tirumala Yadav is facing the sitting MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad. He won from Mylavaram in 2019 Assembly elections on YSRCP banner and now contesting as the NDA candidate. Krishna Prasad hails from the family of political background. His father Vasantha Nageswara Rao was home minister during NT Rama Rao government. Krishna Prasad has vast contacts and locally very popular leader. His rival YSRCP candidate is first-time contesting the Assembly polls and striving hard to win the confidence of voters.

Young politician Perni Krishna Murthy, alias Kittu, son of Machilipatnam Assembly MLA Perni Nani is canvassing tirelessly to get elected to Assembly from port town of Machilipatnam. He gets the support of local YSRCP cadre and his father Perni Nani, the sitting MLA.

The YSRCP has fielded Kittu against former minister and the TDP leader Kollu Ravindra. Ravindra has contested two times in 2014 and 2019. He won in 2014 and lost in 2019. Now, he is contesting third time to win the poll battle as an alliance candidate of TDP, BJP and Jana Sena.

TDP leader Venigandla Ramu is contesting for first time in Assembly elections from Gudivada. Former minister, YSRCP leader and Gudivada MLA Kodali Nani was elected four times in a row from Gudivada. Venigandla Ramu is NDA alliance candidate. Both leaders are striving hard to win the contest from Gudivada. Nani is trying to win for the fifth time while Ramu is trying to end the winning spree of Nani.

Varla Kumar Raja, the son of TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah is trying his luck from Pamarru SC constituency. Kumar Raja is facing his rival Kaila Anil Kumar, the sitting MLA.

Anil Kumar is a senior leader and has good contacts and followers in the constituency. Varla Kumara Raja has to depend on the cadre of three parties the NDA alliance TDP, BJP and Jana Sena.

Uppala Ramu of YSRCP is contesting for first time from Pedana Assembly constituency. NDA alliance has fielded TDP leader Kagita Krishna Prasad.

In Tiruvuru SC Assembly constituency the TDP leader and first-time contestant K Srinivasa Rao is facing an uphill task to defeat the rival the YSRCP candidate Nallagatla Swamy Das. Swami Das is the former MLA and has vast contacts and followers in the constituency.

Moreover, K Srinivasa Rao is the non-local candidate and struggling to get the support of TDP cadre in the constituency. With less than a month left for the polls, the first-time contestants and former ministers, sitting MLAs and senior politicians are canvassing in the scorching heat to get elected to Assembly and represent their seats.