The Kapu vote bank is stronger in the twin Godavari districts and also in Visakhapatnam.This vote bank is crucial for any party to get that winning edge in the elections. YCP lost all four assembly segments in Vizag port city in 2019. But still it is still shifting Capital there. Hence, Vijayasai Reddy made in charge of the mission to attract Kapus and establish unquestioned supremacy of YCP there. This was why Vijayasai spent more time in North Andhra city and even claimed the caste name in certificates of most Reddys is ‘Kapu’ only.

Pawan Kalyan certainly has got charisma and glamour but that has not translated much into votes in 2019. His party could not win a decent number of MLAs like his brother Chiranjeevi’s party did before. Even then, Pawan’s influence in AP electoral politics is being recognized by one and all because of his caste vote bank. This is why the BJP is not ready to lose his support at any given opportunity.

On the other hand, the BJP is solely banking on Kapus’ larger support base to establish itself in AP. At any cost, it wants the Kapu vote bank. The obvious reason is that the other two dominant castes, Reddys and Kammas, are sailing with YCP and TDP. The BJP’s game plan is to get total support of Kapus in addition to the Hindu vote bank it wants to create. Hence, the BJP needs Kapu leaders Somu Veerraju and also Pawan.

Now, another Kapu group is trying to emerge on the scene to play politics around this caste vote bank. Mudragada Padmanabham, who quit politics, was under pressure from this to come back and lead the caste in their agitation for reservations.

For the TDP, it has its own support base among the Kapus in Godavari districts and North Andhra. Now, question is who will split this vote bank to what extent.