A close confidant of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Krishnadas won the Narasannapeta seat in 2004 and 2009 on Congress ticket and the 2012 bye-election on a YSRC ticket.
He lost to Telugu Desam’s Baggu Ramana Murthy in 2014 but won the seat back in 2019.
“Effective implementation of welfare schemes, development of Srikakulam district, beginning with the Mulapeta port, a kidney hospital and other development works, will help YSRC win in this election,’’ Krishnadas, who is the elder brother of revenue minister and Srikakulam MLA Dharmana Prasada Rao, told reporters.
The incumbent Narasannapeta MLA said over 90 per cent of the local bodies were represented by the YSRC which would help the party gain an advantage in poll management at the booth level.
However, there was a temporary setback to Krishnadas when local leaders of the party raised a banner of protest and asked party chief Jagan Mohan Reddy to nominate another candidate replacing Krishnadas. A meeting was held under the leadership of Chinnala Kurmi Naidu and Menda Rambabu.
“But the dissidence has been sorted out and all the second rung leaders are supporting Krishnadas,’’ a local leader said.
His younger brother Dharmana Prasada Rao won this Assembly constituency in 1989 and 1999 and has a strong influence.
Local leaders said TD’s Baggu Ramana Murthy did not do much to develop this constituency after he became the MLA in 2014.
“Ramana Murthy faced several allegations of sand mining from 2014 to 2019 before he was defeated by Krishnadas,’’ they said.
At one stage, these allegations made the TD leadership change Ramana Murthy and nominate Baggu Srinivas Rao, a surgeon and son of former MLA Baggu Lakshmana Rao. Lakshaman Rao was a TD MLA in 1994.
NARASANNAPETA: Vital stats
Total votes: 2,14,288
No. of male voters: 1,06,841
No. of female voters: 1,07,434
Third gender: 13
