They are likely to decide fate of candidates

Women voters outnumber men and they decide the fate of candidates in Vizianagaram district. Of the total 18, 18,113 voters, women voters are 9, 19, 654 in the district. There are 8, 98,331 male voters and 128 come under third gender category.

District Collector M. Hari Jawaharlal, Joint Collector K.Venkataramana Reddy and other senior officials reviewed the arrangements for the election to be held on Thursday.

According to them, the Election Commission of India has given top priority for holding free and fair election. It has already identified 558 sensitive villages and extra forces have been sent to them. Around10,000 police personnel of all wings were deployed in nine Assembly constituencies.

As many as 11,520 polling staff already reached 2,304 polling stations in the district. The district administration hoped that the poll percentage would go up significantly this time with the continuous awareness programmes conducted in nook and corner of the district. Telugu Desam Party leaders strongly felt that the beneficiaries of government schemes such as Pasupu Kumkuma, NTR Bharosa and others would throng polling stations and it would lead to increase in poll percentage. YSRCP leaders argued that the people were fed up with the TDP government and they would come to vote to register their resentment.

Former Union Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju is contesting for Vizianagaram MP seat and former ZP chairperson Bellan Chandrasekhar was fielded as YSRCP nominee against him. Mr.Ashok’s daughter Aditi Vijayalakshmi Gajapathi Raju who jumped in politics is contesting on TDP ticket in Vizianagaram. She is facing YSRCP Regional Coordinator and MLC Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy who won Vizianagaram seat as an independent candidate 2004 election in spite of the Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s wave.

Minister for Mines and Geology Sujaykrishna Ranga Rao is testing his fate in Bobbili. Mr. Ranga Rao, who won on YSRCP ticket in 2014 election, is now contesting on the TDP ticket. YSRCP nominee Former MLA Sambangi China Venkata Appala Naidu is striving hard to win Bobbili seat. Former Minister Botcha Satyanarayana of YSRCP is facing political novice Kimidi Nagarjuna, son of former Minister Kimidi Mrunalini, in Cheepurupalli. Out of nine Assembly seats, TDP holds S.Kota, Vizianagaram, Gajapathi Nagaram, Nellimarla, Cheepurupalli and Parvatpuram. YSRCP candidates were elected in Saluru and Kurupam in 2014 election. Mr. Ranga Rao won Bobbili seat on YSRCP ticket but later joined the TDP.