Penamaluru will see a fierce battle

The Penamaluru seat becomes the center of intensive political activity and strategic alliances as the elections get near.

Jogi Ramesh, the minister of housing, is running for office from Penamaluru and faces strong opposition from outside forces. CM YS Jagan’s charm and the YSRC’s plans, however, provide him a bright future.

On the other hand, the TDP deliberately chose local leader Bode Prasad, capitalizing on his 2014 win in Penamaluru. Prasad’s extensive record of community involvement in the area supports his candidacy and garners support from a wide range of sources. With more than 2.7 lakh votes, the constituency is broad and includes sizeable Kamma, Kapu, Muslim, and Dalit populations.

Having defeated Pedana in 2009 and 2019, Jogi enters a fresh race in which he does not have direct access to the electorate. He gets a lot of campaign support from the local YSRC cadre. His non-local status, however, might be a problem since it will take time for him to gain the confidence of voters and adjust to the dynamics of the section.

It’s interesting to see that political adversaries Bode Prasad and Kolusu Parthasarathy, who ran against one another in the past, are now working together to help the TDP win. Given that Parthasarathy now campaigns across the sector, his move from the YSRC to the TDP complicates the political environment even more.

Leaders strategically prepare by considering winning possibilities and caste dynamics, emphasizing the role that community connections have in ensuring election victory.

Looking back at previous elections, Penamaluru has continued to be politically unstable, with no party taking the sector outright every time since it was established in 2008. Riding the tide of YSRC’s popularity, Parthasarathy won the 2019 assembly votes with 47% of the vote. But Prasad’s loss highlights the difficulties the TDP faces. Even with the constituency’s political power, decades pass with unresolved long-standing concerns.

Bhukya Sowjanya, a Poranki resident, voiced worries on the problems with the drinking water that are present throughout the stretch. She emphasized that sewage contaminates boreholes with even little amounts of rainfall. Even though the Krishna (Bandar) canal is close to Yanamalakudaru and Pedapulipaka, Chaudavaram, several villages in the constituency—including YSR Tadigadapa Municipality—do not have access to Krishna water. In addition, it seems that officials are not taking the effort to build waterhead tanks, which leaves locals without a long-term fix. She said that other ponds were unlawfully inhabited. Sowjanya bemoaned the fact that politicians promise things before elections but neglect to deal with the real problems.

Penamaluru’s Maridu Bhaskara Rao drew attention to the grave drainage problems that the surrounding communities are facing. He emphasized that those who live near sewers face a variety of issues. In many places, poor waste disposal facilities are a contributing factor to sanitation issues. The existence of poorly maintained roadways makes traffic issues worse.

M Nageswara Rao, a Kanuru resident, voiced disappointment over the Pantakalava road’s delayed development. The route connects Patamata and Ganguru and was started to relieve traffic for those living in the area. Due to problems with the approach road at Siddhartha Engineering College, the project was abandoned in the middle, leaving it unfinished as of this writing. Leaders are aware of this long-standing issue, but over time, they haven’t given it much thought.

Concerns over the condition of tenant farmers in the constituency were voiced by Pannamaneni Srinivasa Rao, another Poranki local. He pointed out that since these farmers lack Parmar cards, they are not only not being paid for their goods but are also not eligible for government programs. Furthermore, local farmers lack a way to store their grains due to the absence of market yards and godowns.

The residents of the constituency have suffered from several issues for many years. However, it is still unclear whether elected officials will honor their pledges, follow through on their obligations, and win the public’s forgiveness.