Why Andhra Pradesh parties feel road to power goes via East Godavari

The road to power in Andhra Pradesh goes through East Godavari district. Based on this theory, all the three major political parties in the state are now focussing on sweeping the Assembly seats in the region. A the time of the general election, Andhra Pradesh will also be voting in a new Assembly.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, as part of a restructuring plan for the state, had divided the erstwhile East Godavari into three districts: Kakinada, Konaseema, and East Godavari. Still, many people consider the three as one unit.

The power of East Godavari (the geographical unit consisting of three new districts), a politically important and rich region along the coast, is widely acknowledged. Photo shows a rail-and-road bridge in Rajahmundry. Image: iStockThere's a vaastu connection, too, apparently. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Reddy Subramanyam call the north-eastern direction 'auspicious' and East Godavari is located in that part of the state.

Three players

The ruling YRS Congress Party (YSRCP), the TDP, and the Jana Sena Party (JSP) are equally confident that they will get to rule the state once they win a majority in East Godavari district’s 19 Assembly seats.

After the TDP and JSP joined forces, they together began searching for candidates with bright chances of winning. The idea is to choose candidates with consensus from both parties. Leaders from both parties are urging their members to be prepared to compromise on seat-sharing to avoid conflicts.

Currently, Pawan Kalyan, who heads JSP, holds a slight advantage vis-à-vis East Godavari district. The filmstar-turned-politician has been camping in Kakinada, the political nerve centre of the region. He has met leaders of seven different constituencies in the Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency. He has also held separate conversations with members in charge at the ward level to know the situation in the district.

According to sources, JSP MLAs have mentally equipped themselves to accept the seat-sharing agreement that's arrived at by the party leadership. Grapevine has it that two leaders from the ruling YSRCP are likely to join the JSP – Jyotula Chantibabu, MLA from Jaggampeta, and Pendem Dorababu, MLA from Pithapuram.

Also, there is a demand for the JSP to contest more parliamentary seats — at least four out of seven. Based on credible information, these four will be Pithapuram, Prathipadu, Kakinada City, and Kakinada Rural.

TDP showing

The TDP is no stranger to the eastern sentiment. Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh, who has recently finished surveying Yuvagalam in the eastern region, will join his father in the district on January 10. He will also camp in Kakinada and meet sarpanches and other local leaders.

He plans to remain in the area for three days and meet party members.

In 2019, the TDP got only two seats in the region. Now, the TDP and JSP together want to win a majority there.

YSR Congress plans

The YSRCP is not far behind, and Jagan is set to visit the region later this week. The party won 16 seats there in the 2019 elections, and is determined to win more now.

It is also expected that Jagan will make an effort to reconcile with disgruntled minister Venu Gopalakrishna, who is upset over the Chief Minister's decision to relocate his constituency from Ramachadrapuram to Rajahmundry Rural.

Although there is dissatisfaction among district leaders, state Home Minister Taneti Vanitha remains confident that the “eastern sentiment” will benefit her party. “In 2019, we secured 16 seats out 19. Jana Sena got one seat and the TDP two. This is the underlying cause of our party's rise to power,” she said.

“Our leader Jagan is expected to start the election campaign from Kakinada," said Vanitha.