Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 18 : As the nomination process for the 175 Assembly segments and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh began on Thursday, former TDP minister and sitting MLA of Visakha North constituency Ganta Srinivasa Rao, filed his nomination from the Bheemili assembly constituency.
Rao, who has maintained an unbroken record of neither losing any elections nor contesting again from the same constituency since 1999 to 2019, is now breaking his streak by vying for the Bheemili seat for the second time.
According to a notification issued, nominations will be accepted from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on all working days till 25 April. The scrutiny of nominations will be taken up on 26 April, while the last date for withdrawal of papers is 29 April.
Accompanied by a massive rally of supporters from his party office in Bhimunipatnam, Rao visited the Regional District Office (RDO) office to submit his nomination papers today.
Ganta Srinivasa Rao, made his political debut by joining the TDP in 1999. He was elected to the Anakapalle Lok Sabha constituency in the same year, and later to Chodavaram Assembly constituency in 2004.
Being a close friend of the actor, Chiranjeevi, he joined the PRP - launched by the actor in 2008 - and successfully contested from Anakapalle assembly constituency in 2009.
Following the merger of the PRP with the Congress, Rao ascended to the position of Minister during the tenure of Kiran Kumar Reddy, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Anticipating the Congress's decline post the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Rao switched allegiances back to the TDP, securing victory from the Bheemili constituency in the 2014 elections. In the subsequent 2019 elections, he shifted to Vizag North and emerged victorious, defying the political tide in favor of Jagan Mohan Reddy's party.
This election marks the first time Rao is contesting from the same constituency in his political career.
The Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh will be simultaneously held on May 13. The counting of votes will happen for June 4.
Notably, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly consists of 175 seats and it send 25 seats in the Lok Sabha.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the YSRCP won with a thumping majority of 151 seats, while the TDP was confined to 23 seats. In the Lok Sabha polls, YSRCP won 22 seats and TDP could only win three seats.