If there is one municipality that is hot as red iron after Kuppam municipality, then it must be Penugonda municipality in Anantapur. Among the ten municipalities that are going to poll this month, Penugonda is next in importance only to Kuppam. Hence, both the parties have deployed a bevy of leaders to woo the voters.

Penugonda has for years been the borough of the Paritala family. Starting from Sriramulu down to Paritala Sriram, Penugonda is very important for the family. But in the 2019 elections, the TDP lost and YSRCP’s winning candidate Shankara Narayana became a minister. Both the TDP and the YSRCP have taken the municipal poll a very critical battle and are pulling all the stops The TDP has deployed one ex-MLA or an ex-minister as the incharge for each of the 20 wards.

Not to be undone, even the YSRCP has deployed Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy as the incharge of the elections. He has, in turn appointed sitting MLAs as incharge for each ward. Thus, all the major leaders of the region are now camping in Penugonda.

It is clear that Penugonda has become a battle of prestige for both the parties With this the political heat is on in the small municipality of Anantapur district. The politicians are trying all the tricks in the trade to woo the voters.