Page 31 - Andhra Pradesh

LS polls 2024: PM Modi to address two poll rallies in Andhra Pradesh today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two NDA election meetings in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, featuring alliance partners N Chandrababu Naidu from the TDP and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan. The first meeting is scheduled in the afternoon at Vemagiri in Rajamahendravaram, East Godavari district, followed by another one later in the day at Anakapalli. "The Prime Minister is expected to land at Rajamahendravaram airport around noon. He will address his first meeting here at 3:30 pm and then proceed to Anakapalli for the second meeting scheduled at 5:30 pm," a BJP leader said. The PM's meetings , titled "Prajagalam" (people's voice) in the southern state follow the first NDA poll rally at Boppudi village in Palnadu district on March 17, in the run-up to the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on May 13. State BJP chief D Purandeswari is contesting from the Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha seat. She will take on the YSRCP's G Srinivasulu. The saffron party's C M Ramesh is fighting

PM Modi to address two NDA election meetings in Andhra Pradesh on Monday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two NDA election meetings in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, along with alliance partners TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan. The first meeting is scheduled in the afternoon at Vemagiri in Rajamahendravaram, East Godavari district, followed by another public meeting in the evening at Anakapalli in the eponymous district. The prime minister is expected to land at Rajamahendravaram airport around noon. He will address his first meeting here at 3.30 pm and then proceed to Anakapalli for the second meeting scheduled at 5.30 pm, according to a local BJP leader. The twin PM meetings dubbed 'Prajagalam' (people's voice) come ahead of Andhra Pradesh's simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections on May 13. The first NDA election meeting was held at Boppudi village in Palnadu district's Chilakaluripeta mandal on March 17. Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purandeswari is contesting from the Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha seat. She will t

Discontent among coffee planters over dues out in open in Andhra's Araku

Growing discontent among coffee planters over unpaid dues from the government may emerge as a significant electoral issue in the Araku (ST) Lok Sabha constituency in Alluri Sitharama Raju district in Andhra Pradesh. The YSR Congress is aiming to score a hat trick in the segment while the NDA is slugging it out to wrest the seat from the ruling party. In 2019, YSRCP candidate G Madhavi won the seat with a margin of over two lakh votes. This time the ruling party has fielded Chetti Tanuja Rani, a doctor, while former MP Kothaplalli Geetha, a BJP contestant, was pitted against her by the NDA. Geetha won the seat in 2014 on YSRCP ticket and later floated her own outfit, which was merged with the BJP. The CPI (M), as part of the INDI alliance also fielded P Appala Narsa, who may potentially split the opposition votes. Perched at a height of 1000 m above sea level in the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh, Araku boasts of producing coffee beans with distinctive flavours which has gained .

APSDMA forecasts heat waves for 227 mandals in Andhra Pradesh today

Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) managing director R Kurmanadh said 227 mandals in the state are expected to experience heat waves on Saturday. Of the 227 mandals, 58 of them would experience severe heat waves, while 169 are expected to witness heat waves, he said. "Severe heat waves have been forecast for 12 mandals in Srikakulam district, Vizianagaram (23 mandals), Parvatipuram Manyam (14), Visakhapatnam (one) and Anakapalli (eight)," he said in a press release on Friday. Heat waves are predicted in 13 mandals in Srikakulam district, Vizianagaram (three mandals) and one each in Parvatipuram Manyam, Nellore, Sri Satyasai, West Godavari and Annamayya. Similarly, Alluri Sitaramaraju and Krishna (nine each), Visakhapatnam (two), Anakapalli (10), Konaseema and Tirupati (five each), Kakinada (17), East Godavari (four), Eluru (11), NTR (six), Guntur (14) and Palnadu (22) are to witness heat waves. Heat waves have also been forecast for three mandals in Bapatl

Andhra: Politics not '5-minute noodles', needs patience, says Pawan Kalyan

Politics is not a five-minute noodles and one can not expect quick results as leaders have to earn the trust of people by withstanding turbulence and setbacks, Janasena founder and actor Pawan Kalyan has said. Janasena, TDP and BJP are NDA partners in Andhra Pradesh for the May 13 polls. Comparing the vision of the National Democratic Alliance for Andhra Pradesh, and that of the ruling YSR Congress party in the state, he said the former has got more credible leadership, people with commitment and experience. He appealed to the people to vote for the alliance, alleging that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy completely damaged and messed up the state during the last five years. "You have to understand. We all think that politics is a fast food (and expect) fast food results. You want to make it immediately. You want results immediately. It is not a five-minute Maggi noodles. When I look at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash, when I look at Ramana Lohia, all the elders, even Mr Kanshi Ram, they

One voter, two votes: How Kotia villagers navigate blurred border dispute

While Odisha provides essential services, such as schools, anganwadi centers, water supply points and employment guarantee, Andhra focuses on benefits, including 35 kg of rice compared to Odisha's 5kg

49 Lok Sabha, 318 Assembly candidates withdraw nominations in Andhra: CEO

Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena on Tuesday said 49 Lok Sabha candidates and 318 Assembly candidates have withdrawn their nominations for the May 13 simultaneous elections in the state. Consequently, the number of candidates contesting the 25 Lok Sabha seats got pruned to 454 and the 175-member Assembly to 2,387 candidates, the CEO said. "Following the withdrawal of nominations on Monday, April 29, 454 candidates will contest from the 25 Parliament constituencies and 2,387 from the 175 Assembly constituencies, said Meena in a press release. After the scrutiny of nominations on April 26, the Election Commission rejected 183 out of 686 Lok Sabha nominations and 939 out of 3,644 Assembly nominations. It accepted 503 Lok Sabha and 2,705 Assembly nominations which now stand at 454 and 2,387 after the withdrawals.

LS polls: Andhra Pradesh NDA partners release welfare-heavy manifesto

TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday unveiled the election manifesto of NDA partners TDP, Janasena and BJP in Andhra Pradesh, featuring "super six" promises and several other welfare-centric schemes. Elections for the 175-member assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled to be held on May 13. The highlight of the manifesto is the "super six", which includes Rs 1,500 monthly pension to women in the age bracket of 19 to 59 years, 20 lakh jobs for youth or Rs 3,000 monthly unemployment aid, and free bus travel for women. "We conducted a thorough exercise on this (manifesto). Both TDP and Janasena sat together and came up with it. We also took some suggestions from BJP before going ahead," said Naidu while releasing the manifesto at his Andhra Pradesh residence in Undavalli, Guntur district. The other schemes under the "super six" are three free cooking gas cylinders to every household a year, Rs 15,000 to every school-going child per annum and Rs 20,000 annu

Naidu confident of regaining Andhra Pradesh with overwhelming majority

TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has said the anti-incumbency wave coupled with failure of all institutional frameworks will ensure his party sweeps both assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh as people have 'realised' the ruling YSR Congress has failed to live up to all its promises. The former Chief Minister who is fighting to regain power in the state, expressed confidence that the TDP-BJP-Jana Sena Party (JSP) combine will win 24 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats and 160 of the 175 assembly seats comfortably in the simultaneous elections to be held on May 13. Naidu (74) said the YSRCP came to power on the promise of getting a special status to AP but the issue has been relegated to the background as people are struggling to deal with alleged mismanagement of every government department. The state has gone into huge financial debt to an extent that people have not received salaries and pensions, he added. "There is a tremendous anti-incumbency. YSR Congress has destroyed the

Coromandel International to invest Rs 1,000 cr to set up plant in Andhra

Coromandel International, which is mainly in the fertiliser business, will invest Rs 1,000 crore to set up a plant to produce phosphoric and sulphuric acid at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. In a regulatory filing, the company said it has "commenced the project activity to set up its Phosphoric Acid-Sulphuric Acid complex facility at Kakinada". The company's Executive Chairman Arun Alagappan participated in the groundbreaking ceremony on April 26. "With an estimated outlay of Rs 1,000 crore, the project is expected to be commissioned in two years' time. The proposed 650 tonnes per day (tpd) phosphoric acid facility is designed with advanced DA-HF (Dihydrate Attack-Hemihydrate Filtration) process technology and automated DCS system," it said. This will enhance backward integration capacities and provide stable supplies of phosphoric acid for its fertiliser manufacturing by replacing more than 50 per cent of the Kakinada plant's imported acid requirement. The company also plans to set u

Located on river bank, Srisailam Assembly poll focuses on water crisis

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'water water everywhere but not a drop to drink' line aptly describes the paradox of rural families of the Srisailam assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh, who battle to get water although living near a dam. Many of the residents of Sunnipenta village in Srisailam mandal, located just 5-7 km away from the Srisailam dam, are getting piped water supply once a week and at times once in ten days. The low level of water in the dam owing to lack of rainfall has further aggravated the water woes here, an issue which has taken the centre stage in the political campaign ahead of the May 13 Assembly polls. Out of five mandals in Srisailam Assembly Constituency having around 1.9 lakh voters, the problem of water shortage is acute in Srisailam and Atmakur mandals. "We have lived with water scarcity for many years and nothing has changed. It's been seven days, there is no piped water supply, " said Hussain who runs a cold drinks shop at the Sunnipenta bus stand. Ahe

Politicians dole out sops to woo Andhra voters despite rising debt in state

Ahead of the Assembly polls, the state's economic health is in focus as it has consistently breached the fiscal deficit in eight of the last 10 years since Telangana's formation

Disburse pensions using DBT, doorstep delivery during MCC: EC to Andhra

The Election Commission has directed the Andhra Pradesh government to utilise direct benefit transfer (DBT) and other alternative arrangements to distribute welfare schemes to beneficiaries during the period of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), an official said on Sunday. Disbursal of pensions assumed significance and controversy in the run-up to elections after the poll body restrained government volunteers from carrying out welfare duties until the period of the MCC ends. Ruling YSRCP and the opposition NDA alliance of TDP, BJP and Janasena traded allegations over alleged hardships faced by beneficiaries while receiving pensions in April. Shashi Bhushan Kumar, Principal Secretary, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department said the poll body ordered the state to follow its guidelines in letter as well as spirit to ensure that no beneficiary faces any hardship to avail the benefits when the MCC is in effect. The payment of pensions through DBT using Aadhaar enabled Payment Syst

Odisha example before Andhra

Will Andhra Pradesh follow the Odisha model, voting differently in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections? Or will Odisha follow Andhra Pradesh, voting in new faces in both?

Congress releases list of 38 candidates for Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls

The party announced the candidature of Lakkaraju Rama Rao from Vishakapatnam North assembly seat. Tumman Kalyan Aszal Ali Khan will contest from Kadapa Assembly.

LS polls: Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan declares assets worth Rs 529 cr

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's assets grew by 41 per cent during the last five years at Rs 529. 50 crore while he declared an income of Rs 57.75 crore for the year 2022-23. Jagan had, during the 2019 Assembly polls, declared Rs 375.20 crore worth of assets. Pulivendula local YSR Congress Party leaders filed the nomination with authorities on behalf of Jagan on Monday. According to the affidavit with the Election Commission, Jagan's wife Bharati Reddy has assets, both movable and immovable worth Rs 176.30 crore. The YSR Congress chief is contesting from Pulivendula Assembly constituency. Bharathi also has gold and diamonds of 6.4 kg whose market value is at Rs 5.30 crore. Most of Jagan and his wife's assets are in the form of shares they hold in various companies- Bharathi Cements, Saraswati Cements and Sandur Power. Jagan's name figures in as many as 26 FIRs, majority of them were filed by CBI and ED before he became the CM.

LS polls: APCC chief Sharmila owes over Rs 82 crore to brother CM Jagan

Andhra Pradesh PCC chief Y S Sharmila owes over Rs 82 crore to her Chief Minister brother Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, according to her election affidavit in which she has declared that her family owns total assets worth Rs 168 crore. According to the election affidavit filed by Sharmila, the state Congress chief also owes Rs 19.56 lakh to her sister-in-law and Jagan's wife Bharathi Reddy. Sharmila filed her nomination on April 20 as the candidate from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency. It has been included that Jagan Mohan Reddy gave a loan to me. For the sake of clarification, in society any brother should give away his sister's share in the property, because that is her right. It is the responsibility of the brother. "There are some people who will give a pittance (of the rightful share) to the sister and show it as a loan. All our family members know about it, she had told media people when asked about her affidavit. The affidavit says that she owns total assets worth nearly Rs 133 cror

Chandrababu hands over nomination forms to 161 candidates to represent TDP

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday handed over nomination forms to 161 candidates, authorising them to represent the party in the simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh on May 13. At a small ceremony held at Naidu's Andhra Pradesh residence in Undavalli, the opposition leader handed over the 'B-forms'. The B-form is a nomination document signed by the authorised person of a political party, indicating the name of the candidate fielded by the outfit. It is proof that a particular candidate has been put up by a political party, and it ensures that the candidate is allotted the reserved symbol of that party. TDP President and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu distributed B-forms to 144 MLA and 17 MP candidates competing in the upcoming elections, the party said in a press release on Sunday. The party chief advised the candidates to work diligently towards the reconstruction of Andhra Pradesh and also offered guidance on election ...

Andhra Cong chief Y S Sharmila files nomination for Kadapa Lok Sabha seat

Andhra Pradesh Congress President Y S Sharmila on Saturday filed her nomination for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat. Sharmila was accompanied by Sunitha Narreddy, her cousin and daughter of Y S Vivekananda Reddy, who was murdered in the run-up to the 2019 polls. Filed the nomination as Kadapa MP candidate. Kadapa people did not forget Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and Vivekananda. We believe that they will vote this time by keeping them in their mind, said Sharmila, addressing a press conference. Prior to filing the nomination, Sharmila offered prayers at her father Rajasekhar Reddy's grave at Idupulupaya. As Congress candidate for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, she will take on her cousin Y S Avinash Reddy from the ruling YSRCP run by her older brother and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. Elections for the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13.

Skill development case: SC to hear AP's plea against bail to Naidu on May 7

The Supreme Court will hear on May 7 a plea filed by the Andhra Pradesh government challenging a high court order granting regular bail to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the skill development corporation scam case. The petition came up for hearing on Tuesday before a bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal which noted the counsel for the state has said they have filed an interlocutory application (IA) in the matter. It observed the said application does not appear to be part of the record. "In view of the above, the Registry is directed to do the needful. List the IA and the special leave petition on May 7, 2024," the bench said in its order. The state government has approached the apex court challenging the November 20 last year order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which granted regular bail to Naidu. On November 28 last year, the top court had sought a response from Naidu on the state's plea against the high court order. The top court had also relaxed the bail ..