Lambadi votes decide winner in Devarakonda; sitting BRS MLA has edge over Congress rival

Assembly Constituency: Devarakonda (ST)

District: Nalgonda

MLA: Ramavath Ravindra Kumar

Reservation: ST

Total Voters: 2,31,215

Booths: 308

Urban Voters: 14%

Rural Voters: 86%

Male: 50.250955

Female: 49.749045

Caste & Religious Demography

• Gen + OBC: 53.10%

• SC: 15.60%

• ST: 31.20%

• Hindu: 95%

• Muslim: 4.00%

• Others: 1.00%

Candidates

Ravindra Kumar Ramavath (BRS)

Ravindra Kumar was born in Sheripally village near Devarakonda in Nalgonda district in the Lambadi caste. He holds LLB and MA degrees. As a CPI candidate from Devarakonda, Ravindra Kumar contested the 2004 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election. He was elected as an MLA for the first time by defeating the nearest rival from the TDP. In 2014, he won for a second time as an MLA from the CPI. He was the only MLA from the CPI in the Telangana Assembly and subsequently, he is the floor leader of the CPI in the Telangana Assembly. Later, he shifted his loyalty to the TRS party.

Nenavath Balu Nayak (Congress)

Nenavath Balu Naik belongs to the Scheduled Tribe, Lamabadi community. On a Congress ticket, he was elected to the AP Legislative Assembly in 2009. During the 2018 elections, Balu Nayak lost the election to Ravindra Nayak by a margin of 38,848 votes. While sympathy works for Balu Nayak, Ravindra Nayak's backing of the ruling BRS could prove a tough nut to crack for the Congress candidate.

Kethavath Lalu Nayak (BJP)

Ketahavath Lalu Nayak (54) contested in the 2019 Loksabha elections on the Bahujan Rajyam Party (Phule-Ambedkar) ticket and lost. He later joined the BJP. The BJP State executive committee member has his own Yuva Sena who visits every doorstep canvassing for their MLA candidate.

Assembly constituency information

Background: It is the most underdeveloped Assembly constituency in Telangana, and it is a rural and ST-reserved constituency mostly dominated by Lambadas in demography and polity. Most of the people are dependent on agriculture and the Nagarjuna Sagar backwaters as the major source of irrigation. It was a communist-dominated constituency until 2014.

The constituency was formed in 1952, and from then 14 times elections were held. The Congress won six times, and the CPI won seven times in the constituency.

MLA profile

Ravindra Kumar Naik is a three-time MLA from the TRS (now BRS). He started his career as a communist leader and was elected as CPI MLA in 2004, lost in 2009, and was again elected in 2014. After winning the CPI ticket, he defected to the TRS in 2016.

Cultural /Historical

• Devarakonda Fort

• Nagarjuna Sagar backwaters

2014 Assembly analysis:

• The Congress and the CPI shared the constituency in many general elections.

• In 2014 both formed an alliance and contested. The candidate was from the CPI.

• Telangana sentiment didn't help with the TRS.

• Congress-sitting MLA Balu Naik sacrificed his seat and helped the CPI candidate to win.

2018 Assembly analysis:

Balu Nayak, who supported the CPI candidate in 2014, contested on the Congress ticket from Mahakutami. He has a strong hold in the constituency.

Bilya Nayak was a strong leader of the TDP, but he joined the Congress after the 2014 elections, expecting the ticket from the Congress, but he contested on the BSP ticket, and he divided the anti-incumbency votes that made Ravindar win.

Current Situation

• MLA Ramavath Ravindra Kumar maintains close relations with KTR and is doing his development works in the constituency.

• After RS Praveen Kumar's entry into politics, BSP is visible, but Ravindar has become strong after the 2018 elections.

• Local ministers are encouraging Devendar Naik because of MLA Ravindra Nayak's differences with the local Minister Jagadishwar Reddy and Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy.

Key Local Issues

• Girl child trafficking

• Dindi lift irrigation

• Nakkala Gandi lift irrigation project

• Kalwakurthy lift irrigation

• Hospital with good facilities

• Schools in villages

• Government Degree college

• Junior college in Mallepally and other mandals