The political circles are eagerly waiting to see how the rival parties will clash with their strategies in the Tirupati bypoll. TDP nominee Panabaka Lakshmi has already filed her nomination and started campaigning. YCP nominee Dr M Gurumurthy and BJP nominee K. Ratna Prabha will file their nominations today. While Gurumurthy chose to seek blessings at Dr Ambedkar statue, Ratna Prabha is visiting Tirumala for Sri Vari blessings.
Tirupati parliament segment consists of four assembly segments in the Nellore district and three districts in the Chittoor district. In both these districts, the YCP has gained an indisputable upper hand over the TDP in the 2019 elections. Especially, Chittoor is posing a bigger challenge for Naidu considering rising threat from Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhasker Reddy and their party followers.
It was Peddireddy and Chevireddy who played a crucial role in ensuring a historic defeat to the TDP in the panchayat polls in Chandrababu’s own Kuppam assembly segment in the Chittoor district.
With renewed enthusiasm, the YCP has been claiming that they would aim at a majority of 4 lakh this time. The YCP got 2.28 lakh majority in 2019. On its part, the BJP is threatening to split the TDP vote considerably. Doubtless to say, it is going to be a greater challenge for Naidu to face the YCP-BJP onslaught.
