BCs to emerge as kingmakers in Kapu dominant Pithapuram Assembly constituency

Jana Sena Party's Pawan Kalyan gains ground in Pithapuram Assembly constituency, facing Kapu community division and strong opposition.

Jana Sena Party president K. Pawan Kalyan, who suffered defeats in Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka in 2019, appears to have gained some footing in the Pithapuram Assembly constituency with his candidature itself bringing the nondescript constituency into the limelight in South India.

Since he and his rival, Kakinada City sitting MP Vanga Geetha from the YSRCP, belong to the dominant Kapu community, which has over 84,000 votes, the Kapus are found to be divided over political lines. This makes the voters of the Backward Classes, who are over 74,000 in number in the constituency, the kingmakers in the election.

The JSP chief, however, began preparing the ground one year ago with his Varahi Yatra, and he has been able to penetrate the fishermen community on the Uppada coast, the handloom weavers in the heart of the constituency, the mulberry and paddy farmers of Gollaprolu, and the Kapus in the pilgrimage centre of Pithapuram.

In a move to counter Mr. Kalyan’s campaign, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy brought forth Kapu leader and troubleshooter Mudragada Padmanabham to woo Kapu voters in favour of Ms. Geetha, adding much-needed vigour to the YSRCP candidate’s campaign.

“I will change my name to ‘Padmanabha Reddy’ if YSRCP fails to defeat Mr. Kalyan in Pithapuram,” he announced, triggering a sentiment among the Kapus in the constituency. Mr. Padmanabham, who quit the Kapu Reservation Movement citing his old age, says he has returned to active politics with the only purpose of defeating Mr. Kalyan.

At a time when the Kapu Reservation Movement was dying a slow death, this challenge caused great anger among his supporters across the State. The irony is that Mr. Padmanabham’s daughter, Ms. Kranthi, condemned her father’s stand and pledged to strive for the victory of Mr. Kalyan.

On the other hand, Ms. Geetha has pinned high hopes on the welfare schemes launched by the ruling YSRCP, saying that the beneficiaries of the schemes would stand by her in the election. She also did not hesitate to play the Kapu card and launched a campaign, ‘I am the daughter of Kapus’.