The assembly segment of Allagadda has seen power concentrated in the hands of only two families since 1985 — the Bhuma and the Gangula families. Now, the battle of the ballot is being taken forward by two third-generation politicians Bhuma Akhila Priya of the TDP and Gangula Bijendernath Reddy of the YSRCP who are running for the Assembly.
Ms. Akhila Priya’s campaign till now has revolved around showcasing the development achieved by her mother Shobha Nagi Reddy, former MLA of the constituency. The latter’s supporters have rallied around Ms. Akhila Priya, rooting for her to take up the family’s mantle in Allagadda.
However, some supporters of the Bhuma family, especially Iregela Rampulla Reddy and A.V. Subbareddy, have been distanced by Ms. Akhila Priya in a public feud. Mr. Rampulla Reddy has joined the YSRCP, and though Mr. Subbareddy has not defected from the TDP, has stayed away from campaigning for Ms. Akhila Priya. In the other camp, Gangula Bijendernath Reddy, who hails from a family of politicians, has not made any claims to the figurative throne.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr Reddy has said that he is an individual who is in politics because he is interested in it and that he has been in politics for the past five years without a position of power. He took a swipe at Ms Priya, saying, “She has only entered politics as a substitute for her mother, and she does not seem to have any interest in politics.”
The first Gangula to be elected from the constituency was G. Timmareddy in 1967 who won as an independent candidate. His second term in 1978 lasted for only two years, and the baton was passed on to G. Pratap Reddy in a by-poll. Pratap Reddy had won the 1980 and the 1985 elections, but he had to wait for another 15 years to come back into power, which he did in 2004.
Change of guard
In those 15 years, the Bhuma family had wrested control of the constituency with B. Sekhara Reddy winning in 1989, B. Nagi Reddy winning in 1994 and Shobha Nagi Reddy in 1999. This winning streak was broken by G. Pratap Reddy.
Shobha Nagi Reddy later held on to power from 2009 to 2014 till her untimely death in a car accident. The baton was then passed to Ms. Akhila Priya who won the constituency and later was also made Tourism Minister, and was the youngest minister in the cabinet. Bhuma Nagi Reddy passed away in 2017 from a heart attack, and his constituency, Nandyal, was passed on to Ms. Akhila Priya’s cousin, Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy.