Pallam Raju battles AP division, anti-incumbency in Kakinada

Kakinada (AP), May 3: Union HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju is battling the fallout of division of

and perceived anti-incumbency against Congress in his Kakinada pocket borough in Seemandhra region from where he is seeking a fresh term.

Kakinanda, in East Godavari district, has traditionally been a stronghold of the Pallam Raju family and the sitting MP had won the seat thrice in 1989, 2004 and 2009. Raju's grandfather Mallipudi Pallam Raju had won once from Kakinada Assembly seat and served as a minister whereas his father Sanjeeva Rao got elected to Lok Sabha in 1971, 1977 and 1980, besides winning bye-election for Ramachandrapuam Assembly seat in 1970.

Kakinada is known as 'fertiliser city' and 'second Madras'

However, the union minister is understood to be facing a tough contest on account of the division of Andhra Pradesh and anti-incumbency factor. His principal rivals are TDP's Thota Narasimham and YSRCP's Ch Sunil. Kakinada, situated in the east coast, is known as 'fertiliser city' and 'second Madras' as it is home to fertiliser plants like Nagarjuna Fertilisers, Coromandal Fertilisers.

Oil majors like Oil India Limited, ONGC and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) have facilities in the city because of its proximity to the famed KG basin gas fields. The port city is also a major educational hub in Coastal Andhra as a Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) and a medical college among other institutions are situated here.

'Metro man of India' E Sreedharan was an engineering student in the city. Though the city is bursting at all seams, inadequate railway facilities, drinking water woes and coastal erosion are among major problems in the constituency. The people of the constituency say there is no proper rail connectivity to other cities. The city also boasts of a special economic zone and an upcoming petrochemical investment region (PCPIR).

PTI