Sathupalli MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah on target for fifth straight win, this time on BRS ticket

Assembly Constituency-Sathupalli

District: Khammam

MLA: Sandra Venkata Veeraiah (BRS)

Reservation: SC

Total Voters: 2,31,829

Booths: 291

Urban Voters: 11%

Rural Voters: 89%

Male: 49.78%

Female: 50.22%

Caste & Religious Demography

• Gen + BC: 64.80%
• SC: 24.00%
• ST: 11.30%
• Hindu: 94.00%
• Muslim: 05%
• Others : 1.00%

Candidates

Sandra Venkata Veeriah (BRS)

Venkata Veeriah was born on August 15, 1968 in Rajupeta of Kusumanchi mandal in Khammam district. He hails from a poor Dalit family. He began his political career with the CPM in 1994.

In the 1994 Assembly elections, he became an MLA at the age of 25 for the first time from Palair Assembly constituency. In 1999, he served as the in-charge of the CPM for the Palair constituency. He shifted his loyalties to the TDP from the CPM. In 2004, he was appointed as an in-charge for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the Palair constituency.

In the 2009 Assembly elections, he was elected as an MLA from the TDP for Sathupalli Assembly constituency. In the 2014 Assembly elections, he became an MLA for the third time and defeated YSRCP candidate Matta Dayanand. He was nominated as a member of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Board thrice in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

In 2018, he served as the vice-president of the TDP. In the same year, he was elected as an MLA from the TDP for the Sathupalli constituency of the Telangana Legislative Assembly in the 2018 elections. He defeated BRS candidate Ravi Pidamarthy. In spite of having difference of opinion with the TRS, he shifted his loyalties to the TRS.

In the 2023 Assembly elections, he is contesting as an MLA on behalf of the BRS and is going to take on Congress candidate Matta Ragamayee and BJP candidate Namburi Ramalingeswara Rao.

Matta Ragamayee (Congress)

Ragamayee is a government doctor and wife of Dr Matta Dayanand, a senior politician in Khammam district. She pursued MBBS from Siddhartha Medical College in Vijayawada. She also pursued a Diploma in Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases (DTCD) from Kurnool Medical College in 2009.

She began her political career with the YSRCP. In 2014, she resigned as government doctor to contest as an MLA in the Assembly elections. Her husband Dayanand contested as an MLA in the 2014 Assembly elections on behalf of the YSRCP. He was defeated by TDP candidate Sandra Venkata Veeriah. She, along with her husband, shifted her loyalties to the TRS (now BRS) from the YSRCP in May 2016.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, her husband Dayanand tried to contest as an MLA on behalf of the TRS, but was denied. The duo once again shifted their loyalties to the Congress from the TRS. The Congress leadership is fielding Ragamayee as an MLA candidate from Sathupalli Assembly constituency as her husband is facing legal issues as his caste certificate was cancelled by district collector.

In the 2023 Assembly elections, Ragamayee is contesting as an MLA for the first time on behalf of the Congress. She is going to take on BRS candidate Sandra Venkata Veeriah and BJP candidate Namburi Ramalingeswara Rao.

Namburi Ramalingeswara Rao (BJP)

Ramalingeswara Rao began his political career with the BJP. He is currently serving as in-charge of Sathupalli BJP unit. In the 2018 Assembly election, he contested as an MLA for the first time in Sathupalli Assembly constituency. He was defeated by TDP candidate Sandra Venkata Veeriah. In the 2023 Assembly elections he is contesting as an MLA for the second time on behalf of the BJP.

Assembly constituency information

Geography

• It is a rural constituency and part of Khammam Parliament. Sathupally, Penuballi, Kallur, Tallada and Vemsoor mandals are part of this constituency.
• Singareni collieries and other few agro-based industries are located in this constituency.
• Influence of Andhra culture because it shares borders with Krishna and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Background

• The TDP is very strong in this Assembly constituency. In the last six elections, the TDP won five times and the Congress won once.
• In 2009, due to delimitation, it was reserved for the SC community.
• Earlier, Thummala Nageswara Rao represented this Assembly constituency and had his strong influence.
• The influence of the Kamma community in villages helped the TDP win the earlier elections. Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Jalagam Venkat Rao are also from this constituency.

2014 Assembly elections Analysis:

• TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veraiah won in the 2014 Assembly elections, due to strong TDP cadre and development activities taken up during his previous tenure.
• Influence of the Kamma community in villages helped the TDP win this election.
• There is split in Andhra settler vote between the TDP and the YSRCP. There is also a split in the SC vote, the Mala community supported the TDP candidate and the rest were inclined towards the YSRCP.
• The TRS did not gave much fight in this constituency due to weak Telangana sentiment and its poor presence.
• YSRCP candidate Matta Dayanand Vijay is a strong leader, he lost the election by just 1.2 per cent of votes.

2018 Assembly elections Analysis

• MLA Sandra Venkata Veraiah had contested as an MLA for the third time from the TDP. He defeated BRS candidate Ravi Pidamarthy with a majority of 19,002 votes.

Current Situation

• After the 2018 Assembly elections, MLA Sandra Venkata Veraiah shifted his loyalties to TRS from the TDP.
• Internal squabbles between the MLA’s cadre and Ravi Pidamarthy’s cadre in the BRS.
• Matta Dayanand’s wife Ragamayee is contesting as an MLA on behalf of the Congress.

Key local Issues

• Narrow roads in Sathupally town
• Drainage facilities
• Dumping yard
• Roads in rural areas
• Bus connectivity
• Air pollution