Till 1995, Kuppam, on the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, was a place of “punishment posting” for government officials. The tail-end of undivided Andhra Pradesh was not considered a part of Chittoor district at all, but an inter-State zone.

However, when the MLA from this forgotten corner, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, became the Chief Minister after a dramatic turn of events in 1995, Kuppam attained a celebrity status overnight. The three-decade-old saga continues.

Overnight, the punishment posting changed into “Chief Minister’s constituency”. And when the people from the area visited the Secretariat, the word “Kuppam” was their passport to the CM’s chamber.

After three decades, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu still holds sway over Kuppam and his victory is taken for granted. All that matters is the margin of victory. In 2009 and 2014, the margin stood at 46,066 and 46,927, respectively.

Spread over Kuppam, Ramakuppam, Gudupalle and Shantipuram mandals, the constituency is largely agrarian. Mr. Naidu is so confident of winning from Kuppam that he does not visit it during elections and concentrates on campaigning for his party candidates in other constituencies.

Even his nomination papers are filed by party cadres. In 2019, the cadres collected about ₹29 lakh as contribution from the public towards “nomination fee and election expenditure” for Mr. Naidu. This is called “Chandranna Hundi”. What made Mr. Naidu choose Kuppam as his fortress?

When the region was reeling under a perennial drinking water scarcity, the TDP leader kick-started the construction of about 650 overhead tanks and arranged water supply along with the Bhagwan Satya Saibaba Trust in the early 1990s. From 1995, roads were laid in the forested areas and gravel roads turned into tarmac, leading to a transport revolution in the tri-junction.

The transport revolution was accompanied by an agricultural revolution with the introduction of Israeli technology. The new techniques helped transform vast tracts of the water-starved ensuring plentiful returns for hitherto desperate farmers.

Both staunch supporters and political rivals admit that it is difficult to see an alternative to Mr. Naidu in Kuppam. “When his son Nara Lokesh was projected as the probable TDP candidate in Kuppam in 2019, our hearts sank. We took the public pulse to Babu [Mr Naidu]. We believe even Babu also would never dare to disappoint us,” says a TDP worker. But not all is perfect in Kuppam. Over 15,000 people, mostly youth, travel daily from Kuppam to Bengaluru for work.

The first government degree college building was inaugurated in Kuppam only a few months ago, and it is yet to function. The 350-bed government hospital at Kuppam with the best medical and surgical equipment is hit by a shortage of medical and paramedical staff. Over 500 villages still face a drinking water problem.

Now, Kuppam with its 2.13 lakh voters is again all spruced up for what will more likely be another “one-sided battle.” In 2014, YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy kicked off his campaign from Kuppam, with the slogan of “Pulivendula tiger in Kuppam.” But the hype did little to sway Kuppam which remained loyal to Mr Naidu.