BC increases pressure on YSRC for Vizianagaram assembly seat

Srikakulam: With assembly elections fast approaching, the ruling YSRC is facing a tough time as several BC leaders have quit the party in recent weeks. Avanpu Vijay and Pilla Vijay Kumar, who belong to the Kapu community and have been serving the YSRC since its inception, quit the party a few days ago, condemning the indifferent attitude of the local leadership.

Vizianagaram assembly constituency has been a TDP stronghold since the inception of the party. Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju won the seat seven times since 1978. Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy, who hails from the Arya Vaishya community, won the seat twice, once in 2004 as an independent and in 2019 on a YSRC ticket. Praja Rajyam Party gave the seat to Misala Geeta, who belongs to the Kapu community (listed as BC), first met in 2009.
However, he had to face defeat in the triangular contest. Later, he won the seat on a TDP ticket in 2014 as Ashok had then contested from the Lok Sabha seat. There is no demand for BC for Vizianagaram seat in TDP now as Ashok is likely to be the candidate.
Municipality president Avanpu Suribabu, who belongs to the Kapu community, became the first person to join the YSRC in the district despite pressure from then APCC chief and minister Botcha Satyanarayana not to leave the Congress. He successfully led the party in the district while aspiring for the Vizianagaram assembly seat. However, the political scenario of Vizianagaram was completely changed with the entry of Botcha, Kolagatla and Penumatsa Sambasiva Raju into the YSRC. Although YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had assured justice to Suribabu’s sons Vikram and Vijay after their father’s death, he had given the DCMS chairmanship to Vikram’s wife and left out Vijay.

Fed up with the YSRC’s apathy, Vijay and Vijay Kumar launched a protest demanding the ruling YSRC to allot the Vizianagaram assembly seat to BC. But the YSRC leadership completely ignored his demand. Hence, he joined TDP along with his followers.
Meanwhile, several Yadav community leaders led by AP Food Commission member B Kantarao Yadav held a 36-hour serial hunger strike demanding Vizianagaram seat. Since Kapus and Yadavs are dominant communities in the assembly constituency, Vizianagaram MLA and Assembly Deputy Speaker Kolagatla may face hurdles in getting re-nomination in the upcoming elections. Despite discontent in the YSRC, Kolagatla is confident of retaining the seat. However, an analyst believes that the Kapu and Yadav communities may spoil his chances of victory if he is given the ticket again.