Chandragiri Assembly constituency in Chittoor district hit the headlines even before the poll bugle was blown. But, for all the wrong reasons. It was this ‘fort’ constituency that blew the lid off the issue pertaining to the alleged removal of names from the electoral roll through anonymous submission of Form 7 online.

Blame it on the delimitation process undertaken ahead of the 2009 polls, this ‘peculiarly-carved’ constituency spreading from the south-western edge of the Tirupati city up to the Talakona forest is not only a heady mix of urban, rural, forest and hilly landscapes, but also quite unwieldy for one to travel.

In 2014 elections, incumbent MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy (YSR Congress Party) became the first non-Kamma candidate to register a win from the native constituency of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu by defeating his TDP rival Galla Aruna Kumari. This means Mr. Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy enjoyed a tacit support of the community in 2014.

Caste equation

However, poll pundits say that the divided community appears to have united now and is hell-bent on wresting Chandragiri. IT Minister N. Lokesh himself has reportedly got down to the business and chosen TDP district president Pulivarthi Venkata Mani Prasad (Nani) as the candidate from this segment.

However, Mr. Bhaskar Reddy is considered a ‘man of the masses’ for he is said to be wielding enough influence over the youth. Accusing the TDP government of meting out a step-motherly treatment to this segment, he widely toured the villages, attended to people’s problems and infused funds for development. Sources say that he was not worried about getting re-elected, until the TDP revealed its trump card Nani, a widely-accepted face who is said to have brought the dissenting groups together.

Sources say Mr. Bhaskar Reddy has become the butt of criticism among womenfolk for obstructing the ‘Pasupu Kumkuma’ programme, which Mr. Nani apparently worked out to his favour cleverly.

High-stakes battle

In the wake of allegations over online deletion of voters, this constituency has witnessed an ugly turn of events such as arrest of party workers, pitting similar-sounding names in the fray, threatening Independent candidates, slapping kidnap cases, party workers roaming in the guise of psephologists and assault on workers, though canvassing in the rest of the Chittoor district remained peaceful.

Voters say distribution of goodies and freebies started six months before the elections, understandably by both the sides. This is a pointer to the huge stakes the TDP and the YSRC have in Chandragiri segment.