Ground Report: Narsipatnam- Ayyana faces acid test

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, April 28, 2014: It’s a do or die situation for the three time MLA and former minister, Ch Ayyana Patrudu in Narsipatnam assembly constituency. Ayyana Patrudu, who lost to a political novice, Bolem Mutyala Papa of Congress, in the last elections, is now facing another new face in the upcoming polls.

YSRC chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy has fielded, ace Tollywood director, Puri Jagannath’s younger brother, Petla Uma Sankar Ganesh. Since, the Congress nominee, Appala Naidu, has, withdrawn his nomination in the last minute giving a jolt to the party, it is expected to be a two pronged fight between Ayyana and Ganesh. Political analysts say that, it will be the end of Ayyana’s political career if he loses the battle this time.  

Families of Ayyana and Ganesh have a long association and are now they are pitted against each other.  While Ayyana Patrudu, has been toiling since more than 2 months to make a come back, Ganesh, a debutant into politics, is striving hard to make a ‘blockbuster’ entry to make a strong base for his political career.

 Being a new face and with no political background or any allegations against him, is said to be working in favour of Ganesh. In Narsipatnam too, like any other assembly segment in the state, its Congress vote bank which is going to decide, a candidate’s fate.

 “Everybody sees the late YSR in Jagan. The kind of response am getting is all due to the belief they have in Jagan. They are all of the opinion that only Jagan can implement, the schemes introduced by his father,” YRC nominee Ganesh told this correspondent.

 Bolem Mutyala Papa, who won on a Congress ticket in 2009 polls, and later defected to YSRC, is said to be perturbed with the party leadership since she was denied the ticket, which may, damage the chances of Ganesh to an extent.

Ayyana Patrudu, was elected to the AP Assembly from the same constituency, for three terms since the party’s inception.  He was also elected as a member of parliament during 1996–98 from Anakapalli constituency. He became a minister in the cabinets of NTR and N Chandrababu Naidu, holding various portfolios, including technical education, forests.  He lost the election from same constituency in 1989 and 2009.

“Now the state is undergoing a peculiar situation due to the state bifurcation and in this scenario, everybody’s looking for Chandrababu Naidu’s, leadership to rebuild Andhra Pradesh. TD is going to bag maximum seats in the state and form government which will benefit the state,” Ayyana Patrudu told this correspondent.