Former TDP MLA Gunda Lakshmi Devi vowed to contest as an independent from Srikakulam Assembly constituency following suggestions from her well wishers. Along with her husband and former Minister Gunda Appala Suryanarayana, she interacted with supporters at her residence in Arasavilli of Srikakulam district.
Ms. Lakshmi Devi, who represented the constituency between 2014 and 2019, was defeated with a margin of 5777 votes in the 2019 general elections at the hands of YSRCP candidate and present Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao.
TDP chose Sarpanches Association president Gondu Raghuram as the candidate for Srikakulam Assembly constituency, causing uproar among the followers of Gunda family. Some of them suggested Mr. Appala Suryanarayana to contest for the Srikakulam MP seat, so that the TDP high command would know their strength in Srikakulam politics.
Meanwhile, YSRCP is facing trouble in Amadalavalasa constituency with the announcement of Suvvari Gandhi, as he would contest the elections as an independent. Mr. Gandhi sought ticket but the party fielded Speaker Thammineni Sitharam once again from the Amadalavalasa constituency. Both TDP and YSRCP would be facing threat from independents in the elections.
