Amalapuram (SC) Lok Sabha constituency: Promises galore, development a 'work in progress'

Amalapuram (SC) is one of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and is recognised for its massive potential in the agricultural and industrial sectors.

The constituency has been a hunting ground for oil companies like ONGC and Oil India in the KG Basin situated nearby. There have been a number of delays though that has kept Amalapuram waiting with bated breath for the promised development. In addition, news agency PTI reported in 2014 that political leaders cutting across party lines promised to harness the potential of Amalapuram to produce paddy, coconut and its potential for fisheries. The pace of work has, however, not kept up with the pace of promises.

Once upon a time, Amalapuram was a Congress stronghold with wins in the 1962, 1967, 1971 and 1980 Lok Sabha elections. Since, however, TDP has registered strong performances and has mostly swapped power here with Congress. In 2014 Lok Sabha election, TDP's Pandula Ravindra Babu secured 53.04 per cent of the votes to help his party cross the finish line. He received 1,20,576 more votes than YSRCP's Pinipe Viswarupu. Congress' Butchi Maheswara Rao was left licking his wounds at the third spot with a humiliating 12,182 votes in his favour.

The voter turnout here in the 2014 Lok Sabha election was 82.63 per cent. There were 13,57,865 electors with a sex ratio of 989.

Andhra Pradesh witnessed an overall turnout of  74.47 per cent in the 2014 polls.

Interestingly though, Babu has since quit TDP and joined YSRCP. Reports suggest that he quit his party because there were hints he won't be given the Amalapuram Lok Sabha seat again. There are also murmurs that son of former Lok Sabha speaker GMC Balyogi - Harish - could be fielded by TDP from here.