Araku Lok Sabha 2019 - Fight Between The Konda Doras 

Araku /Visakhapatnam: Araku valley (ST) Vidhan Sabha (28) is located in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh and comes under the Araku (ST) Lok Sabha constituency.

As per the estimates of 2011 census, out of total 305727 population 97.8% is rural and 2.2% is urban. The Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes ratio is 0.51 and 93.75, respectively out of total population.

As per the voter list of 2018, there are 208856 electorates and 256 polling stations in this constituency. Voter turnout in the 2014 assembly election was 70.22% where as it was 69.58% in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.

Kothapalli Geetha YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is the present Lok Sabha MP representing Araku (ST) and Kidari Sarveswara Rao (YSRCP) was the MLA of Araku valley (ST) Legislative Assembly Kidari Sarveshwara Rao(YSRCP) won against Siveri Soma(TDP) with the majority of 34053 votes.

Kidari Sarveshwara Rao later defected to the Telugu Desam party (TDP ). Both Kidari and Siveri Soma were shot dead by Maoists near Thutangi about 125 km from Visakhapatnam, when they were attending a programme in September 2018.They were shot from a point blank range, sources in the police said.

Araku parliamentary constituency is spread across Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Goddeti Madhavi Profile

For the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections YSRCP Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy chose a rank new comer- Goddeti Madhavi, which surprised everyone.

Goddeti Madhavi belongs to scheduled tribe community the ( Konda Dora) who are in majority in the Araku valley. She is an ordinary contract Physical Education teacher (PET). Madhavi joined the YSRCP when YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was touring Visakhapatnam as part of his Praja Sankalpa Yatra last year.

Madhavi was appointed as the Araku Lok Sabha YSRCP Coordinator, where she worked hard and gained popularity within a short span. In recognition for her hard work and also with an intention that the tribals in Araku get representation in the Parliament, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy declared her as the YSRCP party candidate for the Araku Lok Sabha constituency.

Madhavi's father late Goddeti Demudu was also a teacher and communist party leader. He was a two-time MLA from Chintapalli region and was widely respected in the Araku valley.

Madhavi is the proverbial David taking on a Goliath in the form of a very senior politician, a six-time MP, former member of the Congress Working Committee and former Tribal Affairs Minister who recently joined the TDP, Kishore Chandra Deo.

An erstwhile Zamindar of Kurupam, Vizianagram district Kishore Chandra Deo belongs to the Konda Dora community.

Though Madhavi is inexperienced, she has her father's goodwill which will add to her benefit. Among the major problems faced in the Araku valley region are lack of potable drinking water, transportation in the interior villages, unemployment and Maoist infestation.

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