Lok Sabha elections 2019: Andhra’s Vijayawada seat to witness tough fight between TDP, YSRCP

Vijayawada, Mar 25: There will be a tough battle on the cards for the Vijayawada constituency in Andhra Pradesh as two business tycoons, one from the ruling TDP and the other from the YSRCP is all set to fight against each other in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019.

This time too the TDP party has renominated Kesineni Srinivas aka Nani, while the YSRC has fielded businessman and philanthropist, Potluri Vara Prasad aka PVP.

In 2014, Kesineni Srinivas contested on a TDP ticket and won with a landslide margin of 74,714 votes, defeating Koneru Rajendra Prasad of the YSRCP.

While, Potluri Vara Prasad aka PVP is contesting for the first time, he had reportedly tried to contest on a TDP ticket for the Vijayawada MP seat in 2014 with the help of Pawan Kalyan, who was then in an alliance with the TDP. However, he disappeared from the political sphere as the seat was given to Kesineni Nani.

Vijayawada, which was a Congress bastion until the TDP came into the picture in 1984, has a huge presence of Kammas. Since 1984, the seat has alternated between the Congress and the Telegu Desam Party (TDP).

Vijayawada has seen one independent MP, 11 Congress MPs and 4 TDP MPs, including Kesineni.

Meanwhile, it seems that there is a split in Jana Sena and CPI alliance in Vijayawada city. Jana Sena has announced the candidates for Nuzvid MLA seat and Vijayawada MP seat on Saturday night against the spirit of political alliance with the CPI.

Vijaywada Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh is located in Krishna district of the state. Elections to the 175-member Andhra Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies are scheduled on April 11.

According to the 2011 census, out of a total population of 21,28,486 42.72% is rural and 57.28% is urban population. The Scheduled castes (SC) and Scheduled tribes (ST) ratio is 18.45 and 3.77, respectively out of total population.