All pointers suggest that the Congress capturing the seat is quite unlikely as Y S Jaganmohan Reddy has already set the tone for a landslide win despite all odds.
With national focus on the Kadapa Parliamentary constituency by-election, the campaign for the seat is quite unprecedented.
Will the new "strong" man of Kadapa district, now named YSR district, emerge triumphant or give way to the ruling party's nominee in the ensuing by-election for Lok Sabha seat is the question uppermost in the minds of all, including those of the opposition.
All pointers suggest that the ruling party capturing the seat is quite unlikely as Y S Jaganmohan Reddy (better known as Jagan), the defiant former MP and son of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, has already set the tone for a landslide win despite all odds including the court cases foisted on him.
The most potent weapon Jagan has in his armory is the fact that his late father had lifted the face value of the area, developing the district to the extent that many had accused YSR of having an ulterior motive - that of turning the district into a gift to his son.
Kadapa is no longer a dry, undeveloped, deserted or unwelcome district. YSR did what no Congress chief minister or Rayalaseema leader could do.
The district, like most other backward districts in Andhra Pradesh, was hamstrung by the absence of good infrastructure. Today, some consider Kadapa in no way inferior to Hyderabad in terms of development. It presents a robust picture with high quality roads and highways, super-speciality hospitals, medical and engineering colleges and high schools. And a visit will show that there are few unemployed graduates, says a resourceful person after a brief trip through the once-unpopular district.
YSR did concentrate so much on his home district that the phenomenal transformation of the once-backward area led the opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu to vent his ire on the floor of the house, asserting that the former chief minister had diverted all the state funds to Kadapa so as to achieve a phenomenal growth.
Apart from this, the hub of activity in Obulapuram and the setting up of an array of factories like Bharathi Cements and Brahmani Steels stand testimony to the development being undertaken in the district. And never did the 6-lakh odd population of Kadapa expect to see a super-speciality hospital. Plus, as many as 16 government junior colleges became functional during YSR's tenure, and in all 72 private and unaided high schools are operating in the 11 constituencies.
Indeed, Naidu's words appear to have an element of truth in them.
And all this development undertaken by his late father will surely turn out to be a plus point for his son.
At the same time there are innumerable hurdles in Jaganmohan Reddy's path to being re-elected from Kadapa.
Foremost among them is the fierce determination of the strong local MLA, minister and an arch rival of his late father, D L Ravindra Reddy, to wrest the Lok Sabha seat. His nomination came after much deliberation, and his one point slogan is 'fight against illegal wealth'.
Dr. Ravindra Reddy, with the obvious High Command backing, is by no means a small leader, but is endowed with lots of self-confidence and will-power.
To make his job easier, there is no dearth of 'awareness' in the rank and file. Rayalaseema voters, unlike their counterparts elsewhere, can't be taken for granted despite the huge flow of money, reportedly right from the 'Odarpu' yatra.
And to avoid reverses like in the recent MLC elections where Congress nominees were trounced by Jagan's independents, the Congress is firing from all fronts. This is not just a by-election as stated by PCC president D Srinivas, but a do-or-die battle for N Kiran Kumar Reddy's dispensation, and a "prestige" issue for the Congress right at the national level.
All eyes are on Kadapa - once a quaint little town which now occupies a central stage in the national politics. (INN)