Vijayawada: The ruling YSR Congress and the opposition Telugu Desam concentrated this time on the assembly segments where candidates won the last election with low margins – below 5,000 to below 10,000.
Twelve assembly constituencies had registered low-margin wins of below 5,000 while 22 constituencies had below 10,000 margins, 35 had 10,000-20,000 margins and 82 constituencies had above 20,000 margins.
The least majority, of 25 votes, was in the Vijayawada Central constituency followed by Tirupati with 708 votes majority, Ponnur 1,112 votes, Tanuku 2,195, Nagari 2,708 votes, Nellore City 2988, Kothapeta 4,038, Eluru 4,072, Yelamachili 4,146, Tadikonda (SC) 4,083, Prathipadu 4,611 and Jaggayapet 4,778 votes majority in the 2019 elections.
Similarly, Ramachandrapuram, Mangalagiri, Kurnool, Mummidivaram, Srikakulam, Machilipatnam, Vizianagaram, Narasapuram, Prathipadu (SC), Tadipatri, Vijayawada West, Pedana, Peeleru, Anakapalli, Chilakaluripet, Bobbili, Bhimavaram, Kakinada Rural, Santanutalapadu, Kaikaluru, Bheemili and Vemuru. (SC) assembly constituencies registered a majority of below 10,000 votes the last time.
Further, around three dozen assembly segments registered 10,000 to 20,000 votes’ majority — Tiruvur, Nandigama, Penamalur, Srungavarapukota, Adoni, Mylavaram,
Achanta, Madakasira, Banaganapalle, Sarvepalli, Surveypalli, Rayadurgam, Pedakurapadu, Kakinada City, Kavali, Kandukur, Pithapuram, Penukonda, Bapatla, Pathapatnam, Dharmavaram, Nuzividu, Palasa, V. Madugula, Tadepalligudem, Gajuwaka, Rajam (SC), Dendulur, Tenali, Palakonda (ST), Markapuram, Etcherla, Gudivada, Narasannapet and Kalyandurgam.
The YSRC high command led by party president and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy started concentrating on these low majority segments three years ago, carried out welfare and development activities, sent party leaders including legislators multiple times to every house under Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam and held other mass interaction programmes.
After reviewing the performances of the sitting MLAs, Jagan Reddy changed candidates in many constituencies this time. For instance, as the performance of Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu was not satisfactory, he was denied the ticket. Former minister and Vijayawada West MLA Vellampalli Srinivas’s performance was poor. Hence, Jagan Reddy gave the Vijayawada West ticket to minority leader Sk Asif and shifted Srinivas to Vijayawada Central constituency.
The YSRC leaders were confident of winning the low majority assembly seats with huge margins this time due to welfare and development initiatives in these areas. Citing the huge increase in voting percentages this time, these leaders claimed that welfare sops reached all including activists of the Opposition parties and they too were happy with the YSRC government.
“Hence, the large voter turnout would mean a repetition of the 2019 victory for the YSRC this time too,” its leaders claim.
Not to be outdone, TD also concentrated on these low-margin assembly segments and appointed special strategic teams to attract the voters to the TD with the help of the Super Six manifesto. The TD rank and file are hopeful about the TD-BJP-JS alliance increasing the voting percentage for their candidates and winning the 2024 elections.
TD leaders claimed that the overall voting percentage would be above 50 per cent for the NDA in AP this time, and that the TD-led alliance would laugh its way through the June 4 results to form the next ministry.
