Vizag North constituency jinxed!

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, April 30, 2014:  Vizag North assembly constituency seems to be a jinxed one. A candidate once elected from this constituency never gets another chance to contest or face defeat. Political careers of most of the MLAs represented erstwhile Vizag II, now rechristened Vizag north, doomed.

It was once again proved in these polls also as the sitting MLA, Tainala Vijay Kumar, belonging to Congress has recently switched loyalties to YSRC, but party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy, has denied ticket to him. YSRC ticket has gone to an entrepreneur and party district convenor, Chokkakula Venkat Rao.

After delimitation, Vizag I and II constituencies were divided into four constituencies- Vizag – North, South, East and West. Earlier, those MLAs of Vizag II, which was later divided into North and South, like, Rajana Ramani, Pinninti Varalakshmi, S Ranga Raju, Palla Simhachalam, never got opportunity to contest once elected or lost the poll.

This time, Chokkakula Venkat Rao is the YSRC candidate and BJP nominee is Vishnu Kumar Raju. Both the candidates are new to politics.  Vizag North seat had gone to BJP as part of poll alliance between TD and the saffron party. Though Congress candidate Gunturu Bharathi is also in fray, fight is expected only between YSRC and BJP candidates.

Rajan Ramani, who once, won from Vizag II assembly segment, later joined Congress. She was never an MLA after that, though subsequently she joined Congress and became city mayor. Rajana Ramani recently rejoined TD at a public meeting in the presence of party chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

Palla Simhachalam, who was also a TD MLA in 1994 from the same constituency, was denied party ticket in the next election. Though he was given chance to contest on a TD ticket again in 2004 he lost to Congress candidate Saripalli Ranga Raju.

 Vizag II TD MLA between 1999 to 2004 Prof Pinninti Varalakshmi, was also denied chance by the party leadership to contest in 2004 polls, marking the end of her political career. She had recently joined YSRC.

In 2009 the then sitting Congress MLA, Saripalli Ranga Raju was denied ticket by the party high command. Congress picked Tainala Vijay Kumar in 2009 who, joined YSRC recently.