The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has been striving hard to win the Palasa constituency, considered to be a bastion of TDP for many decades, with the strong influence of freedom fighter Gowthu Latchanna’s family in Uddanam region of Srikakulam district.
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is also putting extra effort to retain the seat, which is currently represented by Minister for Animal Husbandry Seediri Appalaraju, who defeated TDP nominee Gowthu Sireesha, grand daughter of Mr. Latchanna, in the 2019 general elections with a margin of 15,526 votes. The same candidates are in the electoral battle, this time too.
From 1952, the constituency, which was known as Sompeta earlier, had been in the firm grip of Mr. Latchanna’s family. Mr. Latchanna represented the constituency between 1952 and 1983 uninterrupted. During this period he won the elections as an independent and with tickets from Swatantra Party and Janata Party, that too, when Congress was in power both in A.P. and Centre. However, in 1983 he tasted his first defeat at the hands of Congress nominee Majji Narayana Rao.
The winning streak of the Latchanna family continued with Latchanna’s son Gowthu Shyam Sundar Shivaji (TDP) from 1985 to 2009, without any interruptions. He won the seat as an independent in 1989 and later continued to contest as TDP candidate. He was finally defeated by Congress nominee Juttu Jagannaikulu in 2009, but came back to power by winning the 2014 elections. As Mr. Shivaji wanted to retire from politics, TDP has been giving the party ticket to Ms. Sireesha since the 2019 elections.
“Mr. Appalaraju could not develop the constituency in spite of being a Minister. His promises such as household water supply to the Uddanam region has not been implemented so far. There is no recruitment of doctors and staff in the much talked kidney research centre,” Ms. Sireesha said.
She vowed to ensure a minimum support price for cashew farmers and build a coconut research centre in the region. Mr. Appalaraju is hopeful of victory in the constituency with the effective implementation of welfare schemes in all villages of Palasa constituency. He said that the Uddanam region had been witnessing development only in the YSRCP regime.
