TD struggles to regain past glory

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, May 6, 2014: The D Day has arrived that would decide the fortunes of candidates of various political parties. Seemandhra will go for polls on Wednesday. While, TD has struggled hard all these days to regain its past glory in the three districts of north Andhra, which was once its bastion, Congress tried its best for survival and YSRC left no stone unturned to emerge as a reckoning force. Congress has reduced to be a non entity and found it tough to find candidates to fight the polls. 

North Andhra Pradesh, comprising, Vizag, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts,   was once a strong bastion of the TD, ever since the creation of the party by N T Rama Rao. It almost swept the polls in the three districts during the 1983 to 1999 polls, but the party started seeing a downward trend in the 2004 polls.

In the 2009 elections, it had won a meager 7 Assembly segments of the total 34 Assembly constituencies in north Andhra. While there are around 15 Assembly segments in Vizag, TD could win only 4. 

In Vizianagaram, the party bagged only 2 and it could win only one constituency out of 10 in Srikakulam. Last year’s sudden and untimely demise of senior leader K. Yerrannaidu, was a major blow to the party in Srikakulam. In the same district, the lone MLA from Ichapuram Sai Raj shifted his loyalties to the new regional force, YSRC, reducing the party tally to zero. 

It was a golden time for Congress in 2004 and 2009 polls. Party bagged 27 assembly segments and all the five Lok Sabha seats in the last elections. The sudden demise of, towering leader, YS Rajasekhar Reddy and subsequent developments on state bifurcation made the Congress house in Vizag and Srikakulam, except Vizianagaram, almost empty.

In Vizag, it was only former minister P Balaraju and former whip, Dronamraju Srinivas, remained in the party. Remaining, all quit the party protesting, Congress led UPA, dividing the state. Same is the situation in Srikakulam, barring, former Kondru Murali and sitting MP, Killi Kruparani, every leader quit and either joined YSRC or TD.  In Vizianagaram, former PCC chief, Botsa Satyanarayana, could curtail migration of leaders to certain extent.

YSRC, which bagged, two seats, one each in Vizag and Srikakulam during 2012 by polls, has given much needed fillip to the party prospects in north Andhra. Party chief, Jagan, clearing names of the candidates in most of the assembly constituencies, a year back, had helped them to do some ground work.

Party candidates are banking on pro welfare agenda of Jagan and rural voters. Jagan too made several visits to the three districts since 3 years. He also fielded, his mother YS Vijayalakshmi, from, Vizag Lok Sabha, thinking that, she may influence the prospects of the party in the polls in the three districts.