All eyes are on the Araku Lok Sabha constituency from where V. Shruti Devi, a New Delhi-based lawyer, social activist, writer and daughter of former Union Minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo, is keen on contesting on the Congress ticket.

Mr. Deo, a six-time Parliamentarian, once from the Rajya Sabha, who had represented the Congress from Araku during 2009-14, is scheduled to join the TDP in Amaravati on February 24.

He met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in New Delhi on Tuesday and discussed about his joining the party along with his supporters from seven Assembly segments of the parliamentary constituency.

Asked whether he would contest from Araku, Mr. Deo told The Hindu that his joining the TDP was unconditional and his contesting the elections did not figure during his meeting with Mr. Naidu.

Winning chances

However, party sources said Mr. Deo would be the most suitable candidate with winning chances if the leadership named him as the party candidate.

However, Ms. Shruti Devi, who campaigned actively for her father, told this correspondent that she had been planning to contest for the Lok Sabha on the Congress ticket for a long time.

“In fact, I will win with a big margin, whosoever is pitted against me by the other parties,” she said.

Bauxite mining

Mr. Deo, who wields a lot of influence in the tribal areas and belongs to the family of tribal hill chiefs from Kurupam in Vizianagaram district, is known as a ‘gentleman politician’.

He had played a key role during the UPA regime in stopping the bauxite mining in the scheduled areas.

YSRCP’s Kothapalli Geetha won the Araku seat in 2014. She subsequently disassociated herself from the party. She now plans to float a party and contest the elections. There is no indication yet as to who will be fielded by the YSRCP from the Araku LS constituency.