Andhra: Kadapa to witness a family face-off between YSRCP's YS Avinash Reddy and Congress' YS Sharmila

New Delhi [India], May 12 (ANI): The Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh is gearing up for a heated battle between cousins.
Sitting MP YS Avinash Reddy of the YSR Congress Party is pitted against state Congress chief YS Sharmila. Sharmila is the daughter of former Andhra CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy and sister of YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy. Avinash Reddy is the cousin of Sharmila and Jagan.
The Telugu Desam Party, which is in alliance with BJP in the state has fielded Chidipiralla Bhupesh Reddy from the seat.
Kadapa comprises seven assembly segments- Badvel (SC), Kadapa, Pulivendla, Kamalapuram, Jammalamadugu, Proddatur, and Mydukur. All seven are held by the YSRCP.
Kadapa has been an unshakeable bastion of the YSR family for a long time. Congress stalwart YS Rajshekhara Reddy, and father of Jagan Mohan Reddy and Sharmila, was elected thrice from the seat. YS Vivekananda Reddy, his brother, served two terms till 2009. Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy was elected from Kadapa in 2009.
In 2011, Jagan Mohan Reddy quit Congress formed YSRCP and contested again from the seat representing his party.
In 2014, YSRCP contested Jagan's cousin YS Avinash Reddy from the seat and Avinash Reddy has been holding the seat since.
However, the Andhra CM's mother YS Vijayalakshmi has extended her support to daughter Sharmila and appealed to the people of Kadapa to support Sharmila.
Vijayalakshmi, widow of former CM of combined Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhar Reddy, resigned from the post of honorary president of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and from the party's primary membership in July 2022.
Sharmila earlier this year, merged her newly formed YSR Telangana Party with Congress and was later made the state Congress chief. She has launched direct attacks on her brother Jagan and incumbent MP Avinash Reddy over the death of their uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy.
Major issues in the constituency include the need for various key industries, improved infrastructure, raising living conditions of the residents in the region, unemployment, illegal sand mining and land grabbing.
Voting for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat will take place on May 13 in the fourth phase of general elections. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
In 2019, Avinash Reddy won by a margin of 3,80,726 votes. The candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll in Kadapa are YS Avinash Reddy (YSRCP), YS Sharmila (Congress) and Chadipiralla Bhupesh Subbarami Reddy (TDP) among others
During the 2019 general elections, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) won 22 out of 25 seats. Former CM N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was confined to a mere 3 seats. While BJP and Congress got zero seats. (ANI)