Jaggaiahpet and Nandigama Assembly segments are set to see familiar faces vying for seats once again, as the ruling YSRCP and the opposition TDP have decided to field the same candidates who contested from these constituencies in the previous elections.
In a move that signals continuity, both the ruling and opposition parties have opted to retain their candidates for the upcoming elections in the combined Krishna district. While changes have been made in candidates for most assembly constituencies in the district, Jaggaiahpet’s sitting MLA Samineni Udaya Bhanu will represent the YSRCP for the third consecutive term.
Meanwhile, former MLA and TDP candidate Sreeram Rajagopal, also known as Tataiah, will once again stand for election from the same constituency. These two candidates are no strangers to electoral battles, having contested from this segment multiple times and are now poised for their fourth showdown.
Notably, YSRCP’s Samineni Udaya Bhanu has been contesting from Jaggaiahpet since 1999, emerging victorious three times out of five attempts. He now prepares for his sixth electoral contest.
Having faced off in Jaggaiahpet thrice before, Samineni Udaya Bhanu (YSRCP) and Sreeram Rajagopal alias Tataiah (TDP) have a history. In the 2009 elections, Tataiah secured victory with a margin of 9,678 votes against Bhanu. However, in 2014, Tataiah claimed victory once again, defeating Bhanu by a narrower margin of 1,846 votes. The tables turned in 2019 when Udaya Bhanu clinched victory for the YSRCP with a lead of 4,778 votes.
Similarly, the Nandigama (reserved segment) will witness a familiar contest as Tangirala Sowmya (TDP) and Dr Monditoka Jagan Mohana Rao (YSRCP) gear up for their second electoral face-off. In the previous elections in 2019, Jagan Mohan Rao emerged victorious with a comfortable lead of 10,881 votes against Sowmya.
However, the 2014 elections painted a different picture, with Monditoka Jagan Mohana Rao contesting for the YSRCP against TDP’s Tangirala Prabhakar Rao, resulting in Rao’s victory by 5,074 votes. Tragically, Prabhakar Rao passed away soon after the results were announced. In the subsequent by-poll, his daughter Tangirala Sowmya secured victory with an impressive margin of 74,827 votes against the Congress party candidate, as the YSRCP opted not to field a candidate.
Interestingly, both the TDP and YSRCP have re-nominated Tangirala Sowmya and Monditoka Jagan Mohana Rao respectively for the upcoming elections, marking their second electoral showdown.
While the ruling YSRCP has made changes in candidates for several constituencies in the district, including Mylavaram, Tiruvuru, Vijayawada East, West, Central, Penamaluru, Machilipatnam, and Pedana, it has retained candidates who contested previously for Pamarru, Gudivada, Kaikaluru, and Avanigadda segments.
Similarly, the opposition TDP has introduced new faces for Mylavaram, Tiruvuru, Nuzvid, Gudivada, Pamarru, and Gannavaram. However, there have been no changes in the contesting candidates for the Jaggaiahpet, Nandigama, Vijayawada East, Central, Machilipatnam, and Pedana segments
It’s Samineni vs Tataiah in Jaggaiahpet
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