Nellore: Tough battle on the cards in Nellore Rural constituency

Nellore : A tough contest is on the cards between the ruling YSRCP and TDP in Nellore Rural Assembly constituency. Sitting MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy contesting on the TDP ticket will be facing Adala Prabhakara Reddy in the ensuing polls.

Sridhar Reddy has been elected twice from the constituency in 2014 and 2019 on the YSRCP ticket. But due to differences with the party leadership, he quit the ruling party and joined the TDP. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu allotted him ticket to contest from Nellore Rural constituency for the 2024 Assembly polls. Sridhar Reddy is quite popular among the people in the constituency as he keeps a close association with them.

A leader on condition of anonymity said Sridhar Reddy has registered victory in 2014 and 2019 by spending lesser money than his rivals as he has good image in Nellore Rural constituency.

It may be recalled that in a triangular contest, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy has registered two victories on YSRCP ticket from the Nellore Rural constituency in 2014 and 2019. He defeated BJP candidate Sannapureddy Suresh Reddy in 2014 by a majority of 25,653 votes and TDP nominee Shaik Abdul Aziz by 22,776 votes in 2019.

Though he is the candidate of TDP-JSP-BJP alliance for the coming polls, he has not been receiving adequate support from the alliance partners. But against the ‘Sankeerna Dharma,’ the BJP and JSP seem to be distancing themselves from the TDP in the constituency.

The situation became tough for the TDP candidate after Nellore district JSP president Chennareddy Manukranth Reddy, began supporting YSRCP after he quit the JSP recently. Manukranth Reddy contested from Nellore Rural constituency on JSP banner and got 9,003 votes in 2019 elections.

On the other side, BJP which has some vote bank in Nellore Rural constituency seems to be playing the role of a mute spectator in the constituency.

Sannapureddy Suresh Reddy, a native of Chinnachekuru village in Nellore Rural mandal, contested on BJP ticket in 2014 and he was defeated in the hands of YSRCP nominee Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy by a margin of 25,653 votes. Suresh Reddy got 53,450 votes in the elections.

YSRCP nominee Adala Prabhakara Reddy is a contractor-cum-politician from North Mopur village in Kavali constituency. He has been fortunate in elections and has registered victory total five times from different constituencies representing different parties. He has only lost in 2014.

He has won on TDP ticket in 1999 and 2019, on Congress ticket on 2004 and 2009 and on YSRCP ticket in 2019. However, whichever party wins in Nellore Rural in the ensuing polls, the majority of the winning candidate is likely to be between 4,000 and 5,000 votes.

Adala made his debut in politics by winning from Allur Assembly constituency on TDP ticket by defeating Congress nominee Katamreddy Vishnuvardhan Reddy by a margin of 5,983 votes in 1999 elections. He worked as a Housing Minister in Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet.

Later, he joined the Congress party and was elected twice from Sarvepalle constituency by defeating TDP nominee Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy by a margin of 7,620 votes in 2004 and with a majority of 10,284 votes in 2009 elections.

Again he joined the TDP and contested on the same party banner for Nellore MP seat and was defeated in the hands of YSRCP nominee Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy by a margin of 13,478 votes.

Later, he joined the YSRCP and contested for Nellore MP seat in 2019. He defeated TDP nominee Beeda Masthan Rao by a margin of 1,48, 571 votes in the election.