Narasaraopet Lok Sabha constituency: Can YSRCP shatter TDP dreams?

Narasaraopet is one of 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and has lured several political leaders across party lines each time elections beckon.

The TDP secured wins in the previous two Lok Sabha elections here with Mondugula Venugopala Reddy securing a wafer-thin win in 2009 while Rayapati Sambasiva Rao overcoming a strong challenge from YSRCP's Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla in 2014. Little wonder then that political parties tend to spend extra time and take extra measures when deciding on their candidates for the Narasaraopet Lok Sabha constituency.

With over 15 lakh electors here, Narasaraopet is a bitter battleground for political rivals. The voter turnout in the 2014 Lok Sabha election was 84.68 per cent, well over the overall Andhra Pradesh voter turnout of 74.47 per cent.

Such is the significance of Narasaraopet that Chandrababu Naidu reportedly considered fielding assembly speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao. This is because seven-time MP Sambasiva Rao has not been in the best of health.

YSRCP too is keen on scripting a maiden win here and has begun campaigning in earnest.