TDP candidate in Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency Kesineni Shivnath in a conversation with The Hindu | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
Kesineni Shivnath (alias Chinni), the TDP candidate in the Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency, is confident of a hands-down victory in the general election.
“The people are looking for a leader and a party that can develop their State. Going by their mood, it is obvious that the TDP is their choice; there is a wave of support for the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance rising in silence. People are ready and eager to unseat the YSRCP government,” he told The Hindu.
To fight his brother, nephew
Chinni is in a triangular contest with his brother Kesineni Srinivas (Nani), who is with the YSRCP, and his nephew Valluri Bhargav, the Congress candidate for the Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat.
The election might look like a familial fight, but it is actually a battle between development and destruction. The people are vexed by the State government policies that have brought development to a grinding halt in and around Vijayawada, he said.
The TDP candidate said that employment opportunities have drastically fallen in Vijayawada city, which was once a hub for commercial activity and a nerve centre for the automobile industry. The number of jobs in the automobile industry has dwindled. Construction activity is almost nil. These construction workers and the Autonagar workers are migrating to other cities in search of livelihood. This has impacted other sectors like hospitality as well. These are some of the factors that make the voters think twice before voting for the YSRCP.
“We have a simple agenda—a common man’s agenda—to generate employment and bring back the city’s past glory,” he said.
Manifesto released
Chinni, who released his manifesto for Vijayawada Lok Sabha, said he would tap the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for creating necessary infrastructure in Autonagar and impart skill development to workers in the automobile industry.
For instance, there are painters in Autonagar, and setting up a painting booth would help them. Many NRIs are eager to invest in their native villages. With their support, RO water plants would be installed in all 285 villages in the LS constituency limits. There would be a permanent solution to A. Kondur, where kidney cases are more common. Drinking water, etc., facilities would be provided there, apart from medical facilities, he said.
The MP candidate observed that a flyover from Siddhartha Medical College to Nidamanuru is necessary to ease traffic. It will be taken up as soon as the TDP comes to power, he said.
He said the TDP agenda included completing pending flyovers, road underbridges, storm water drains, and issuing pattas to people living in hilly areas. Greater Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is the need of the hour. Comprehensive development of Vijayawada suburbs was only possible with the GVMC,” he said.
Also, there is a need to develop Autonagar Phase-3. Once the Outer Ring Road (ORR) was in place, many units in the present Autonagar needed to be relocated close to the ORR. So, our focus would be on developing another Autonagar with about 250 to 500 acres, he said.
New stadium
To a question on the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) stadium complex, which is mostly used for political and government programmes, Chinni said that he is roping in philanthropists to construct another stadium either in Vijayawada (West) or Central constituency limits so that sportsmen have better access to facilities. It would be a reality, he said.
Giving a big push to tourism would generate employment and also boost the local economy. Steps to restore international flights from Gannavaram Airport were a few other thrust areas to develop the constituency, he added.
