Will Anantapur district, which actually helped the TDP to come to power in 2014, ditch the ruling party in 2019? In 2014 elections, the TDP had won 12 of the 14 MLA seats and pushed the YSRCP to the opposition seat. Loan waiver was a big incentive for the drought-hit farmers of the district. Even Pawan Kalyan's support helped the TDP sweep the district as Balija votes went en bloc to the TDP.
Five years down the line, the TDP is facing an uphill task this time. Even the TDP itself is not upbeat this time. There are strong indications that the TDP might lose several of its sitting seats. If JC Diwakar Reddy, the maverick MP from the district, is to be believed, the TDP will lose eight MLA seats. Even Chandrababu Naidu admitted in a recent review meet in the district that at least five of the 12 MLAs are facing anti-incumbency. He said these MLAs had not worked properly and could not contain the dissidence. Hence, he has indicated that they could be replaced. The seats are Singanamala, Puttaparthi, Guntakal, Anantapur urban and Kalyanadurgam.
But, will TDP fortunes be revived if these five MLAs are replaced? Not likely, say analysts. They feel that the even in Kadiri, the situation is very bad. According to them, if the TDP itself admits that the going is tough in five seats, the actual number could be much higher. What more, the YSRCP is going ahead quite aggressively and that the opposition is not to the local MLAs, but even to Chandrababu himself. Also, joining hands with the Congress could prove counter-productive in the district.
Five years down the line, the TDP is facing an uphill task this time. Even the TDP itself is not upbeat this time. There are strong indications that the TDP might lose several of its sitting seats. If JC Diwakar Reddy, the maverick MP from the district, is to be believed, the TDP will lose eight MLA seats. Even Chandrababu Naidu admitted in a recent review meet in the district that at least five of the 12 MLAs are facing anti-incumbency. He said these MLAs had not worked properly and could not contain the dissidence. Hence, he has indicated that they could be replaced. The seats are Singanamala, Puttaparthi, Guntakal, Anantapur urban and Kalyanadurgam.
But, will TDP fortunes be revived if these five MLAs are replaced? Not likely, say analysts. They feel that the even in Kadiri, the situation is very bad. According to them, if the TDP itself admits that the going is tough in five seats, the actual number could be much higher. What more, the YSRCP is going ahead quite aggressively and that the opposition is not to the local MLAs, but even to Chandrababu himself. Also, joining hands with the Congress could prove counter-productive in the district.