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The Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency, located in Andhra Pradesh, is categorized under the General category and encompasses part of the Kadapa district. Presently, it comprises seven Legislative Assembly segments: Badvel (SC), Kadapa, Pulivendla, Kamalapuram, Jammalamadugu, Proddatur, and Mydukur. All seven are held by the YSRCP. 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.
2019 Result and 2024 Candidates
YS Avinash Reddy of the YSRCP is the Kadapa MP since 2014. In 2019, Reddy had 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.
Political Dynamics
The Kadapa Lok Sabha Constituency has emerged as the most heated battleground in Andhra Pradesh centred almost entirely upon a sensational family feud involving a brutal assassination and a historic battle between two cousins from the most powerful political family in the state which is undergoing parliamentary and assembly elections simultaneously.
Kadapa – A YS Family Bastion
Kadapa had traditionally been a Communist Party bastion, before it became an unshakeable fortress of the YSRCP. For a decade between 1989 and 1998, Congress stalwart YS Rajshekhara Reddy, and father of Jagan Mohan Reddy and Sharmila, was elected thrice from Kadapa. YS Vivekananda Reddy, his brother, went on to serve two terms here until 2009 when Jagan Mohan Reddy was elected from Kadapa.
Rajshekhara Reddy’s death in a helicopter crash was followed by Jagan Mohan Reddy taking the mantle and conducting the famous Odarpu Yatra in memory of his father. He went on to quit the Congress and started his own political venture, the YSRCP, in 2011 and won Kadapa again in a by poll. He passed the seat on to his cousin in 2014, who has been occupying the throne ever since.
Avinash Reddy, facing murder allegations in a sentimental all-encompassing family feud, has fallen at risk of losing his inheritance in the form of a loyal parliamentary seat in Kadapa. He also faces anti-incumbency, against him and the chief minister, complicating matters further.
Backed by Jagan Mohan Reddy, Avinash Reddy is undeterred by the attacks mounted by YS Sharmila and Suneetha Nareddy, who have turned the heat on him over the murder of Y.S Vivekananda Reddy.
An advantage in his favour is that YS Avinash has been a long serving leader in Kadapa, while Sharmila, his opponent, is being seen as an ‘outsider’. Another strength to his favour is the massive YSRCP machinery in the state, along with the seven party MLAs in Kadapa and the chief minister himself, who have bolstered his campaign.
Congress Gets New Lease of Life
After the bifurcation of the state of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the Congress, whose government in Delhi signed off on the decision, was completely wiped out in the subsequent elections with its vote share falling to just 1.5%, a sharp fall from winning the state in 2004 and 2009. Rising at its expense were the TDP and the YSRCP which dominated the elections after its demise.
However, in a rare instance, the party has been dealt a unique lease of life— which comes in the form of Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister YS Sharmila, who merged her newly formed YSR Telangana Party with the Congress.
It’s Sharmila vs Jagan
YS Sharmila is laying a direct claim on her father’s legacy with observers hinting that the upcoming Lok Sabha Election will be a Sharmila vs Jagan battle which will extend to the assembly elections. Sharmila took things a step further when she set foot in Kadapa to launch a scathing front against her sibling Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is being accused of protecting Y.S. Avinash Reddy, her cousin, and a prime accused in the murder of her uncle.
During her campaign, she announced that she joined politics to defeat “the murderers” of her uncle and block them from entering the parliament. She has asserted her will to defeat CM Jagan to rid the state of “murder politics”.
Sharmila’s husband, Bro. Anil Kumar, is an evangelist deeply involved in missionary work across the country and particularly in the state. He is a popular face in the state, especially among the 5-8% Christian minority in Kadapa. With exponential growth of the Christian faith in Andhra Pradesh, the actual numbers are unclear, however, the power of Christian voters to influence political outcomes in the state is undeniable. Anil Kumar, born to a Hindu family and who converted only after his marriage with Sharmila, is leveraging his longstanding public image to campaign for his wife.
Muslim voters, who form well over an estimated 16% of the vote, also lean towards Sharmila, as they are especially drawn towards the Congress and have ruled the TDP out since it formed an alliance with the BJP.
A lingering sentiment among fence-sitters who have not picked sides between the two YS siblings– Sharmila and Jagan, is that on the day of polling, one vote shall be cast in favour of Jagan while the other in favour of Sharmila– hinting that in the assembly polls, people may prefer a status quo, while Sharmila may dominate the Lok Sabha election in Kadapa.
With an edge over minority voters and a dramatically sentimental poll pitch centred around justice and legacy, Sharmila threatens to take this YSRCP bastion by storm.
TDP Pushed to the Sidelines
Chadipiralla Bhupesh Subbarami Reddy, the son of former MLC C Narayana Reddy, is running for the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency on a TDP ticket. With a large following in the Jammalamadugu Assembly constituency, Bhupesh is optimistic about his chances of winning the election.
The TDP candidate has become a prominent detractor of Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy, criticizing his performance as lacklustre. As the TDP nominee for the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency, he argues that the prolonged rule of the YS family has resulted in minimal development in Kadapa district.
He has been pointing out that welfare schemes have been unable to shed the burden of inflation on the poor, and that the region has been neglected and deprived of development despite being the home turf of the family in power. He claimed that the Jagan government has not fulfilled promises related to industrial development, such as establishing a steel plant and constructing the Kadapa-Bangalore railway line and that he will prioritise the same if voted to power.
The TDP has traditionally garnered the support of Muslim voters but with its alliance with the BJP, that advantage has fallen at risk. Moreover, the inter-family feud playing out in the opening has left little room for the TDP candidate to sway voters to his side.
While the TDP has traditionally scored 30-40% of the vote share here, with a total vote share of 32.79% in 2019 and occupying second place, the entry of the Y.S. Sharmila in the fray on a Congress ticket threatens to knock the party down to third place.
Key Issues
Development
Development, or a complete lack of it is a major key issue in the polls at Kadapa. People are miffed at the state government’s failures to set up various key industries in the region, and improve the civic infrastructure. Moreover, the government’s failure to implement promises like Somasila, cement and steel industries, Gandikota project is also being seen as floundered opportunities to develop the region. Though the state government last year did announce a slew of development works worth ₹871.72 crore in Kadapa district, its impact on raising the living conditions of the public remains to be seen.
Unemployment and Emigration
Unemployment in Kadapa is a major issue, much like the rest of Andhra Pradesh. The problem is being experienced more by the youth and one of the central reasons for it is the absence of an annual job calendar and negligence in conducting District Selection Committee (DSC) exams. The hurried release of the recent DSC notification gave limited time for candidates. Moreover, failure of the government to implement promised developmental projects has also robbed the youth of employment opportunities which has caused outward migration to urban centres such as Amravati and Visakhapatnam.
Illegal sand mining
The issue of illegal sand mining in Andhra Pradesh has taken a toll on the people. People are decadent, and the government has failed to punish the perpetrators especially due to the fact that many high ranking politicians in the state are allegedly part of the operations. There has been alleged involvement of the family members of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in the illegal sand mining, especially the involvement of Kamalapuram MLA P. Ravindranath Reddy, the maternal uncle of the Chief Minister. The first ever prosecution in illegal sand mining was made in 2019. Illegal sand mining has adversely impacted the construction sector. According to reports, sand was available for free during the previous government but is now being sold at a premium rate of Rs. 5000 for a tractor load and Rs. 20000 for a tipper load. The illegal sand mining has also caused irreversible damage to Papagni riverbed.
Conversion
The issue of conversion in Kadapa is rampant. Forced conversion of Scheduled Caste members has been pointed out by the opposition. According to reports, the state government has neither released funds to the SC corporation nor released any loans or created employment opportunities for Dalit youths in the last three years. Moreover, the declining numbers of the SC’s is also seen as one of the reasons why the Jagan government wants to count converted SC’s in the category of backward classes. People in Kadapa are viewing conversions as a political move. The threat of conversions is at such a peak that a village in Kadapa called Kesalingayapalli has declared itself a Hindu only village. It has 3000 Hindus living there and they actively repeal any conversion activities taken by the Christian missionaries.
Feeling of Neglect
People in Kadapa feel that they have been neglected when it comes to providing funds for development or welfare schemes in the region by both the state and central governments. The central government had made an assurance to develop a steel factory which failed to materialise. Later, the state government had promised to build the steel factory with the help of Jindal steel. Even that failed to take shape. People have also been the ultimate victim in the state vs centre issue regarding funds. The state government has repeatedly accused the centre for failing to release funds to the state, while the centre has hit back saying that all funds have been released on time over the last 10 years. This turbulent back and forth has only exacerbated the issues in Kadapa as they believe that the people have been neglected in political bickering.
Land grabbing
The opposition has raised a slew of land grabbing accusations at Jagan’s party leaders. In 2021, according to reports, the chief ministers office was aware of the various land grabbing practices in Rajampet revenue division of Kadapa district. Leaders from Chapalavaripalle, Lebaka, Pottapi, Chintarajupalle and Idgiapalle are cultivating crops on over 230 acres of government land. Government lands in Ketharaju Palle, Vattalur, Thippayapalle and Ananthasamudram villages in Pullampeta mandal have also been encroached on a large scale. However, it is not just government lands that is being encroached by political leaders. Acting on a complaint an anonymous complaint filed by Dalits from Porumamilla mandal in YSR Kadapa district, the AP Lokayukta Justice P Lakshman Reddy on 17th April 2024, facilitated the reclamation of 35 acres of land and assigned plots to those who it were allotted to. The complaint was filed by the Dalit Committee people of Porumamilla mandal.
Civic issues
Civic issues such as education, healthcare and civic infrastructure has been left in total neglect. There has been no concrete development on the ground to improve the lives of the people. According to reports many locals have also migrated due to the failure of the government in providing basic amenities. The government has often claimed that there is a lack of fund flow from the center but people are now seeing it more as an excuse than as a justified case of neglect by the center. In 2021, heavy rains under the influence of cyclone Nivar lashed the city and the low lying areas near Buggavanka were completely submerged as water entered the residential localities. The people had pointed their fingers at the local administration for its failure to complete the infrastructure development works including Buggavanka retaining wall and underground drainage system.
Infrastructure Development
Kadapa Water Project
The drinking water project aims to completely eliminate the drinking water issues in the region by diverting water from the Bramham Sagar reservoir. 1.5 tmc ft of water from Sri Veerabramhendra Sagar (Bramham Sagar) has been allocated for use by the city. It is going to cost 460 crore, of which 151 crore will be borne by the center.
YSR EMC cluster
The YSR Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) is a massive, advanced hub dedicated to producing electronics. This sprawling 500-acre complex, representing a ₹750 crore (USD 90 million) investment, provides top-tier facilities catering to the demands of large-scale electronics production worldwide. The EMC offers a range of options for companies to set up shop, from customizable industrial plots spanning 0.5 to 60 acres to convenient Ready Built Factories (RBFs) designed for immediate operation.
Visakhapatnam-Kurnool high-speed corridor
It is a high speed corridor which will provide improved connectivity to the backward areas of Rayalaseema via Kadapa.
Kadapa Airport Expansion
The Kadapa airport is being expanded at a cost of 210 crore with the construction of a new terminal building and enhanced passenger amenities.
Kadapa-Renigunta four laning
The under construction project is a part of the Solapur-Chennai economic corridor and will provide substantial gains in terms of vehicle operating cost, reduced travel time and help in the economic development of the surrounding areas.
Railway Infrastructure
A new 123 km railway line connecting Nandyal and Yerraguntla has been completed, while another 255 km line linking Kadapa and Bengaluru is underway. Electrification of existing lines, such as the Renigunta-Guntakal stretch, is boosting efficiency and speed. These developments, coupled with the construction of Road Over Bridges and Limited Height Subways are under various stages of completion. In addition, Kadapa railway station is being developed under the Amrit Bharat Scheme which will lay focus on green coverage, solar panelling and water conservation development along with waste management and development of the parcel area.
Voter Demographics (2011 census)
Total Voters (2019): 1568388
SC: 252,510 (16.1%)
ST: 31,368 (2%)
Urban Voters: 649,313 (41.4%)
Rural Voters: 919,075 (58.6%)
Hindu: 83.5%
Muslim: 15.75%
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