Guntur Lok Sabha constituency: Uphill struggle beckons for richest MP in India

Guntur is one of 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh. It is widely regarded as the educational hub of the state and is also one of the most populated of all Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh.

Guntur has been a bitter battleground for the Congress and the TDP with both parties putting in all their might for electoral wins here. Fortune has favoured both parties almost equally since 1991. While Rayapati Sambasiva has been a figure of prominence for the Congress here - winning numerous elections, the TDP managed to romp home to a win in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Industrialist-turned-politician Jayadev Galla of TDP - who was recently in the news for a spirited attack on the central government over the issue of special status for Andhra Pradesh - secured 1,18,417 votes in 2014 Lok Sabha election to defeat Kapu candidate Vallabhaneni Balashowry of YSRCP. Educated in the US, Galla - a millionaire MP - has once again been named the go-to-man for Chandrababu Naidu in Guntur.

Whether TDP can manage to script an encore or will YSRCP cross the finish line first this year would depend on over 15 lakh electors here in Guntur. The voter turnout last Lok Sabha election was 79.31 per cent, a little over the overall state voter turnout of 74.47 per cent.