Analysis - Congress May Grab West Godavari as TDP Men Fight

[G.Narotham Reddy]

* * * * * *

Source: CGI, Nov 10, 1994

* Andhra Pradesh - Assembly Polls

KAKINADA - The political atmosphere in West Godavari is changing in
favour of Congress due to the open revot of Telugu Desam leaders like
Mr. Minte Padmanabham and Mrs Patti Manemma opposing the selection of
candidates.
The resentment against the candidates selected for Gopalapuram,
Tadepalligudem, Vunguturu, Attilli, Penugonda, and Bhimavaram is slowly
spreading among the cadres.
The allotment of Penugonda to CPI led to Manemma leaving the
party and contesting as an independent. Similarly, in Achanta parting
of the seat to Marxists was not relished by TDP workers, especially the
setti balijas.
This may leave the Marxists to fight a lone battle.
The district had been the bastion of Congress till the birth of
TDP in 1983, which made a clean sweep excep Chintalapudi, which was
bagged by an independent, Mr. Kotagiri Vidhyadhara Rao, who later
joined it. In the 1985 assembly elections it retained its hold by
winning 15 seats.
But the wind changed in 1989 with the Congress gaining ground.
It was able to win seven seats while the TDP retained eight seats and
its ally, the CPM, one.
TDP suffered a major setback again when Narsapur MP Bh. Vijaya
Kumar Raju defected to the Congress. Its image began eroding with the
resignation of Karupati Vivekananda, MLA, Gopalapura, who joined the
Congress. The resignation episode of K Ramachandra Raju, a sitting MLA
of Undi, brought to the fore difference with the party.
The recent resignation of Minte Padmanabham, may affect the
party's poll prospects in several places where kapus dominate.
Mr. N T Rama Rao's wisdom in fielding new faces -- Franklin
Rooswelt in Gopalapuram (SC) and Kondareddi Vishwanatham in Vungature
is questioned by the cadres there.
With Manemma joining the fray as independent against the CPI in
Pegugonda, the Congress is likely to retain the seat.
Narsapur and Palakol are considered VIP seats. Chegondi
Harirama Jogaiah was elected twice from Narsapur on the TDP ticket and
from Palakol as Congress nominee in 1989. Being a kapu and a
financier-film producer, the former ZP chairman enjoys considerable
influence.

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