YSRCP’s Prakash Reddy Takes On Paritala Sriram In Raptadu

Raptadu /Anantapur: Raptadu Assembly constituency is located in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh and comes under the Hindupur Lok Sabha constituency. As per the estimates of 2011 census, 80.64% is rural and 19.36% is urban population.

According  the voter list of 2018, there are 2,12,543 voters and 270 polling stations in this constituency. Voter turnout in the 2014 assembly election was 84.52% where as it was 83.93% in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections. The BJP, INC, YSRCP and the TDP got %, 0.77%, 46.47% and 50.79% votes respectively in 2014 Assembly Election while %, 0.86%, 46.12% and 51.04% in 2014 Parliamentary Election respectively. The Rapthadu assembly segment was formed during delimitation process five years ago after a few mandals of Penukonda-Kanaganipalli, CK Palli and Ramagiri were split and merged into Rapthadu. Paritala Sunithamma (TDP)  wife of slain TDP leader Paritala Ravindra  is the present MLA of Raptadu Legislative Assembly.

YRSCP Candidate Topudurthi Prakash Reddy lost to Paritala Sunitha, during last  two elections. But that hasn't deterred him from contesting again and YSRCP leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has reposed faith in him and has given him the ticket for Rapthadu assembly.

Prakash Reddy is an engineering graduate and  has worked extremely hard as YSRCP Rapthadu constituency coordinator . He has been struggling hard to ring in wave of change in the otherwise faction-ridden place of Penugonda -Rapthadu politics. He runs a charitable trust in his name and is always accessible to the people in the constituency.

His third tryst in the Assembly Elections will be against TDP  Parita Sunitha's son Paritala Sriram. She sacrificed her seat to make way for her son's political career, as the TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu did not give him a ticket.

It needs to be seen whether he can still cash in on his father Paritala Ravi's  image  and win this elections.  But reports say that there is a slight dissent among the public against the Paritala family as they have never addressed the core issues like water scarcity, factions, unemployment , farming , irrigation drought which have been affecting the place. Interference by Sunitha's brothers in the local politics and the episode where one of her brother was seen hurling stones at protesting DWCRA women  has left  a negative impression.

Many YSRCP  followers have been threatened and killed in this region and Prakash Reddy wants to end this and bring a clean change in Rapthadu politics.

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