Gannavaram assembly constituency holds a special place in the politics of Andhra Pradesh. MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi won twice in that constituency, which was a stronghold for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). However, when he joined the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), TDP was left without leadership. The scene changed when Yarlagadda Venkatarao joined from YSRCP.
Now, Vamsi finds himself in a challenging situation. Gannavaram is one of the constituencies on TDP’s hit list and is considered one of the few hot seats in Andhra Pradesh. The sitting MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi, who switched to YSRCP, now faces Yarlagadda, his opponent in the previous election, who joined TDP.
Candidates who contested in the previous elections are running again, but the party affiliations have changed. While many factions in YSRCP are against Vallabhaneni Vamsi, all the cadres in TDP are supporting Yarlagadda. TDP has an advantage in terms of social class.
After TDP’s defeat, Vamsi joined YSRCP, anticipating many challenges. However, there are frequent differences and disputes within the party. Senior leader Dutta Ramachandra Rao is not cooperating with Vamsi. Despite this, the leadership has entrusted the responsibility of Gannavaram to Vamsi, and he is considering contesting again in the upcoming elections.
Regarding the differences in the constituency, party leaders have discussed the matter many times, but no solution has been found. Eventually, Yarlagadda Venkatarao joined TDP.
The voters of the strong Kamma community in Gannavaram are against the sitting MLA Vamsi. Chandrababu’s entry into politics with Anda and insults to his family have become a drawback. He later apologized in front of the media as the entire society was exposed, but the talk is that the damage that should have been done has been done.
Yarlagadda was defeated in the last election by a narrow margin of 3,000 votes. In terms of social class, he gave a tough contest in an area far away from YSRCP. Now he is entering the ring on behalf of TDP. Since joining the party, Vamsi has been involved in politics as a target.
With this, all those who oppose Vamsi have joined Yarlagadda. Vamsi has no support within YSRCP itself. There are allegations that cases were filed and harassment occurred while he was in TDP. Even after joining YSRCP, he gave priority to his followers, and all of them seem to be working in support of Yarlagadda against Vamsi.
