Lok Sabha election 2019: In Andhra Pradesh’s Machilipatnam seat, Kapu community holds key
The Kapu community with over two lakh electors who have long demanded OBC status is expected to play a major role in the election.
Machilipatnam is one of 15 Lok Sabha constituencies out of 25 in Andhra Pradesh which the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won in 2014 when its candidate Konakalla Narayana Rao defeated YSRCP’s Kolusu Partha Sarathy by over 80,000 votes. The TDP has re-nominated Rao for the seat, while YSRCP selected former MP Vallabhaneni Balashowry as its candidate.
The Congress which won the seat nine times from 1959 to 2004 is now a pale shadow of its former self in the state.
Machilipatnam Lok Sabha constituency is located in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises seven Assembly segments - Machilipatnam, Pedana, Gudivada Gannavaram, Penamaluru, Pamarru and Avanigadda.
The Kapu community with over two lakh electors who have long demanded OBC status is expected to play a major role in the election.
The TDP is expected to leverage the Machilipatnam deepwater port in its campaign after Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the project in February. The port is expected to be a major employer when it is completed.
As per the 2011 census, out of a total population of 1,825,184, 68.99% is rural and 31.01% is urban population. The Scheduled castes (SC) and Scheduled tribes (ST) ratio is 19.76 and 2.16, respectively out of total population
Machilipatnam Lok Sabha constituency in numbers:
Name of the Lok Sabha constituency: Machilipatnam
Reservation nature of constituency: General
2019 candidates: Gudivaka Ramanjaneyulu (BJP); Gollu Krishna (Congress); Konakalla Narayana (TDP); Vallabhaneni Bala Souri (YSR)
Date of polling: April 11
Sitting MP, Party: Konakalla Narayana Rao, TDP
Winning margin in 2014: 81,057 votes
Runner up name, party: Kolusu Partha Sarathy, YSRC
Number of voters in 2014: 1,143,048
Percentage of votes polled in 2014: 83
Number of polling booths in 2014: 1538