Several political heavweights in naxal-infested Guntur

Naxal-infested Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, which has ironically produced three chief ministers, is fielding several heavyweights for simultaneous Assembly and Parliamentary polls.

In the fray are two tobacco tycoons, R Sambasivarao contesting on a Congress ticket and Y V Rao on a TDP ticket for Guntur's Parliamentary seat.

Elsewhere in the Assembly segment, K Sivaprasad Rao (TDP), state minister for health and medical services, is attempting a hat-trick in Narasaraopet. The constituency hit headlines in September 1999 when explosives hit a nursing home there in which three persons died leading to postponement of the polls.

In the adjacent Sattenapalli Assembly constituency, K Anjireddy (TDP), former director general of health and medical services, is in the fray. Also contesting is sitting MLA and labour minister K Laxminarayan standing on a Congress ticket from Pedakurapadu where he faces B Revathi (TDP), wife of senior IAS officer B Rosaiah. In all, 130 candidates are contesting 19 Assembly seats which go for the polls.