Political Diary

A TDP worker was injured in a group clash between Congress and TDP activists at Gouravaram village in Jaggayyapeta assembly segment during the polling period today.
Police said the trouble started when the TDP workers hurled stones at the vehicle of Jaggayyapeta Congress Candidate Uday Bhanu’s father when he came to the polling booth to cast his vote.
However, Mr Bhanu’s father was not injured in the incident but the window panes of his car was damaged.
Later the Congress and TDP workers clashed each other by pelting stones in which one TDP worker was injured.
The police restored to lathicharge to disperse the clashing groups and arrested two TDP activists in this connection.

Police opened fire in the air at two places, electronic voting machines were damaged in 19 polling stations, a tourist bus was set ablaze in Jammalamadugu and group clashes, bomb-hurling and stone-pelting incidents occurred at about a dozen places in Kadapa district during the second phase of polling on Thursday, but no casualties were reported.

The cars of sitting Mydukur MLA D.L. Ravindra Reddy, sitting Kamalapuram MLA G. Veerasiva Reddy, both of the Congress, and that of Telugu Desam Party general agent of Mydukur Assembly segment, S. Nagi Reddy, were damaged by rival groups. Telugu Desam Party candidate for Kamalapuram Assembly segment Putha Narasimha Reddy was arrested for allegedly attacking Mr. Veerasiva Reddy.

Police opened some rounds of fire in Nagasanipalle village in Mydukur segment after a group of persons damaged TDP general agent S. Nagi Reddy’s car and rival groups pelted stones at each other. Police forces rushed to Nagasanipalle, but voters did not cast votes from 11 a.m. onwards as some agents allegedly warded them off.The Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate’s gunman opened fire in Kutchupapa in Chapadu of Mydukur segment, when a group obstructed the candidate.

Dr. Ravindra Reddy’s car was damaged in stone pelting by a group of women in Chinnagulavalur in Mydukur segment and police opened fire in the air when rival groups hurled bombs and pelted stones at each other. TDP candidate for Kamalapuram segment Putha Narasimha Reddy was arrested after Congress candidate G. Veerasiva Reddy’s car was damaged and EVMs were destroyed in Nadireddipalle polling station in Kamalapuram segment.

EVMs were destroyed in Bakarapuram, Ravulapalle, Maddirevula, Nerusupalle, Rajupalem, Adavicherlopalle, Kollavaripalle, Pedda Cheppali and other places necessitating a re-poll in 16 polling stations. Three bombs exploded in Siddhareddipalle in Chakrayapet mandal when rival groups clashed. TDP leaders complained that Congressmen drove away their polling agents in some polling stations in Lingala mandal in Pulivendula segment.Some Congress sympathisers sustained injuries when TDP members attacked them in Ethapu colony in Jammalamadugu town. Men and women lined up in long-winding queues and enthusiastically cast their votes all over the district, notwithstanding the scorching summer heat. Re-polling was ordered in 19 polling stations in Kadapa district.

The battle lines in south coastal Andhra Pradesh and the Rayalaseema region going to the polls in the second phase Thursday have been drawn on the basis of caste.
While caste was not a major factor in the first phase of elections in Telangana and north coastal Andhra, the second phase is going to be altogether different. Elections are being held in the state both for its 42 Lok Sabha seats and for the 294-member state assembly.
The entry of the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) of superstar Chiranjeevi, who belongs to the Kapu community, has changed the caste equations in the state, especially in the politically significant south coastal region.
Kapus, a backward class with considerable population in coastal Andhra, are looking for a key role in state politics which has long been dominated by upper caste Kammas and Reddys.Caste polarisation has taken place. Kapus - who form the single largest community with about 20 percent of the state’s 78 million population - appear to have rallied behind Chiranjeevi.
With the slogan of ’social justice’, the superstar is trying to bring together Kapus, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and minorities, who together constitute over 80 percent of the population. However, the actor has so far not succeeded in evolving this new caste matrix.
The PRP is likely to do well in constituencies where there is a large chunk of Kapu votes, especially in East and West Godavari and Krishna districts. It will also cut into the vote banks of the ruling Congress in other districts to the benefit of the Telugu Desam Pary (TDP).
Kapus were a traditional vote bank of the Congress and with their migration to the PRP, the Congress is facing testing times despite the visible lack of anti-incumbency.
It is because of the caste factor rather than the promise of free colour television sets and cash doles that the TDP seems to have an edge in East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasm districts in south coastal Andhra, which sends as many as 88 legislators to the state assembly.
The PRP, which is believed to have not done well in Telangana and north coastal Andhra which went to the polls April 16 and is not likely to make a major impact in Rayalaseema, is focussing on these districts. It hopes to get a considerable number of seats to emerge as a kingmaker in the event of a hung assembly.
Though Kammas and Reddys are about six and 10 percent respectively of the state’s population, they are economically and politically powerful. A majority of the state’s 14 chief ministers were from these castes, and a Kapu has never made it to the top post.
Chiranjeevi has managed to attract several Kapu leaders from the TDP and the Congress. It is the pressure from the community which forced several top leaders including former ministers to join the PRP.
However, political analysts say the PRP failed to emerge as a major contender for power because of its failure to carry other backward castes along. Though the party fielded 104 candidates from the backward classes, the highest by any party in the state’s history, it failed to cobble together an alliance of backward classes.
The Kapus, who are economically and socially strong among backward classes, have several sub-castes; they also have differences with other backward classes.
The Palakollu assembly constituency in West Godavari, from where Chiranjeevi is testing his political fortunes, is a classic example. There are serious differences between Kapus and OBCs like Setty Balijas and Devangulu (weavers), making things difficult for the actor.
For the 294-member assembly, the Congress has fielded 88 Reddys, the four-party Grand Alliance led by the TDP fielded 46 Kammas while the PRP gave the party ticket to 37 Kapus.Polling in 20 Lok Sabha and 150 assembly constituencies in south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema will be held in the second phase April 23.
It was the entry of legendary actor N.T. Rama Rao into the state’s politics in 1983 that made Kammas a major force in the state which was till then dominated by Reddys.
Whether Chiranjeevi’s political plunge give the Kapus a bigger slice of the political pie and change the caste equations forever will be known only after the results are declared May 16.

With the second phase of poll date nearing, TDP's smile is beginning to widen what with indications that the party could easily bag eight out of 14 assembly constituencies in Krishna district where it received a drubbing in the last elections. The PRP is also on a leatherhunt by giving Congress a run for its money. Both ministers in the YSR cabinet - Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao (Gudivada) and Mandali Budhaprasad (Avanigadda) - are far behind PRP candidates Ravi Venkateswara Rao and Simhadri Ramesh. "The ministers could be fighting for the second or third slots," an analyst said. The other minister Koneru Ranga Rao, who took voluntary retirement from politics, was left as a mute spectator even as TDP had made huge inroads in his home constituency of Tiruvur. Congress nominees - D Padma Jyothy, Parameswara Rao and D Y Das from Tiruvur, Nandigama and Pamarru respectively - are lagging behind their TDP opponents due to severe infighting among the Congress leaders. Sources said the winning chances of TDP candidates in SC constituencies are bright, while local MP Lagadapati Rajagopal was exposed for not picking up the momentum in some of the assembly seats. Senior PRP leader Buragadda Vedavyas, however, is finding the going tough at Machilipatnam where no local leader is backing him. Both Vedavyas and Congress candidate Perni Venkateswara Rao alias Nani are laying focus on Kapu voters, while TDP candidate Kollu Ravindra, a fisherman, is banking on his community people's support. Sources said Congress candidates Devineni Nehru (Vijayawada East), M V P Apparao (Nuziveedu), K P Saradhi (Penamalur), S Udayabhanu (Jaggaiahpet) are going strong where as Buddhaprasad (Avanigadda), Jogi Ramesh (Pedana), Perni Nani (Machilipatnam), Malladi Vishnu (Central) and Padma Jyothi (Tiruvur) are up against some serious challenge from both TDP and PRP nominees. However, Prajarajyam's Vangaveeti Radhakrishna in Central and Srinivas in West segment are looking confident and have fair chances of snatching the seats from their rivals. "The contest is very strong in six assembly segments where the Congress and TDP could share the honours," a political observer from Tenali said.

The news from the Rayalaseema region is not what would be music to chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s ears. Days after YSR
resurructed the Telangana bogey, people in Anantapur district do not see TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao as a villian. “Demonisation of KCR will not capture the imagination of the average man from the Rayalaseema region before the elections,” said Tarimela Saratchandra Reddy, an activist of the federation of farmers associations. According to locals, the timing of the CM’s statement on regional issues has led to all sorts of interpretations which appear to end up as being more harmful for the Congress. “Now, the Congress has to do a great deal of convincing that it was not really a panic reaction to the possible outcome of the first phase of elections,” Saratchandra Reddy said. Many here say they are not against the formation of Telangana. “We are not against Telangana as such. But if the state is divided, we are worried about domination from the coastal region and it would not be that easy for Rayalaseema to break away from the divided Andhra region. Hence, the Telangana fears whipped up by the chief minister has in turn stirred fear among the people of this region,” said a local Congress leader who did not want to be identified. However, despite the prevailing mood in the region, the Congress is going full steam on its ‘injustice to Rayalaseema’ plank and thus whipping up regional sentiments. The chief minister is scheduled to address as many as six meetings in Anantapur district on Monda, sources said. Besides, the ruling party is also scheduled to release books written by writer S Imam called ‘Rayalaseema Gunda Chappudu’ (the beat of the heart of Rayalaseema) whose basic theme is the injustice meted out to the region. But how much all this can work for the Congress is the big question. “The people have already taken a decision based on their perception of the performance of YSR government. A seemingly emotional outburst cannot change this,” said noted poet Y Sriramulu. This was echoed by N Parthasarathy Reddy of Peravali village in Singanamal constituency. Congress sources said the party has no choice but to sustain the momentum unleashed by Rajasekhara Reddy in Nandyal last week. “Since it has been suddenly whipped up in the middle of the elections, we have no choice but to sustain the same in the Rayalaseema and Andhra regions,” said R Diwakar Reddy, a local Congress activist. Leaders belonging to the Grand Alliance claim the CM’s strategy is to check the migration of votes to the TDP and the Prajarajyam. “In some constituencies in the region, the votes are getting shifted to the TDP while in some others, they are moving in favour of the PRP. The latest strategy of the CM is actually a desperate move to arrest this tide,” said TDP activist R Sudarshan Rao. But in the Rayalaseema region going to the polls on April 23, regional disparity has become the poll topic, pushing the developmental schemes of the Congress to the background.

Affectionately addressed as ‘Pedda mantri’ (senior Minister) in the Congress circles in Anantapur district, Minister for Panchayat Raj J.C. Diwakar Reddy is perhaps facing the toughest electoral test of his political career.
Engaged in a multi-cornered contest with a total 15 candidates in the fray including BJP and Lok Satta, Mr. Reddy is, however, pitted against his old rival Peram Nagi Reddy of TDP besides Paila Narasimhaiah of Praja Rajyam. After a debacle in the maiden elections in 1983 as an independent, Mr. Diwakar Reddy has never looked back despite ups and downs .
Irrigation projects
Barring the industries that have come up based on mineral resources like limestone and granite in and around Tadipatri, there is no visible development worth mentioning in the segment. However, irrigation projects like PABR Stage-II (Yadiki Branch Canal), Chagallu and Pendekallu reservoirs and J.C. Nagi Reddy drinking water project were taken up since 2005 and they have been making steady progress.
Tadipatri, perhaps the only town in the State to supply drinking water twice a day even in mid-summer, has also been developed phenomenally over the last five years with special interest by Minister’s younger brother J.C. Prabhakar Reddy.
Notwithstanding the development and ongoing welfare schemes, Mr. Diwakar Reddy is worried following a major community distancing itself after controversial road-widening led to removal of a small portion of a place of worship in the town in 2006.
TDP nominee Mr. Nagi Reddy hopes to gain sympathy on account of his loss thrice and cash in on the chinks in Mr. Diwakar Reddy’s armour. “The colour television and cash transfer schemes of the party will definitely boost my chances”, he claimed. Praja Rajyam candidate Mr. Narasimhaiah is relying on party chief Chiranjeevi’s image and support among two communities besides the youth.

Tribals living in the deep, interior areas of East Godavari, who are almost three decades behind the development of rest of the world, still believe that N.T. Rama Rao is alive and he is the Chief Minister.
When this correspondent visited Gurthedu village on the polling day, he came to know of some surprising facts from the innocent tribals. Pallala Lachireddy (62) of Patakota village, which is 5 km from Gurthedu, said that he only knew NTR and Indira Gandhi and their party symbols ‘Cycle’ and ‘Hastam’. He argued that NTR was still alive and that none had told him about his death, including the village head, who also did not know about it. The tribal repeatedly asked when NTR died, how, who would be next the Chief Minister, if the party symbol was same or not and so on.
Kondla Dokkamma (50) said that she don’t know Chandrababu or local MLA Babu Ramesh of Valmiki tribe or MP Midiyam Babu Rao. When she was asked about Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi, she said that she saw one movie of Chiru. She said that she went to Rampachodavaram three or four times in last 10 years.
NTR gave them land
Katchela Samaiah (46) explained the reason why NTR was still in the hearts of the interior tribals. He said the credit would go to one of the NTR’s populist scheme “Telugu Magani Grameena Samaradhana”, under which the tribals, for the first time, got three to five acres of land even in interior forest areas to grow cashew, mango and do ‘podu’ cultivation.
After seven years, the tribals got triple benefit. First time the had seen such a huge money in their hands.
Gurthedu is the place from where seven IAS officers were kidnapped by naxalites in 1987. Subsequently, Maoists got a stronghold in the area from Gurthedu to Maredumilli till 2007.
Power supply, roads and bridges were not there till 2004. Encounter between the Maoists and police were a regular feature till 2008 December.
But, the tribals undeterred by the boycott call from Maoists this time also, cast their votes and the polling recorded in this area touched 60 per cent.

With the first phase of polling in Telangana behind them, Andhra Pradesh politicians have now trained their guns on the remaining Andhra and Rayalseema regions of the state. While the creation of a seperate state ruled the first phase campaigning, Chief Minister YSR Reddy rattled by the Telugu Desam led grand alliance seems to be looking for a game changer in the next phase.
YSR Reddy said (in Telugu), “If the grand alliance is voted to power, we will be treated as outsiders in Hyderabad.”
And it looks like YSR made the anti-Telangana statement to consolidate his position in Andhra and Rayalseema by taking the wind out of the pro-Telangana parties in the remaining constituencies.
However, this statement has now earned the Congress the oppositions’ ire. Members of the Telugu Desam led Grand Alliance and the BJP have filed a complaint with the election commission.
TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu has called it YSR Reddy’s act of frustration. The Chief Minister though tried to diffuse tensions by saying he was just making people of Andhra aware of the consequences if they voted the Grand Alliance to power.
Though the election commission will take some time to decide on any further action, it seems like the state’s politicians are wasting no time at all in making sure that the creation of a separate Telangana, remains an election issue in the upcoming second phase as well.