Interview| I want to change tone and tenor of Kadapa: TDP’s first non-minority woman candidate Reddeppagari Madhavi

Kadapa: Popularly called Kadapa Reddamma among her people, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate for the Kadapa Assembly constituency Reddeppagari Madhavi Reddy is working overtime to woo voters to bring TDP back to power.

She is probably the first non-minority candidate and the only woman to contest the Kadapa assembly seat after three decades. She is fighting against YSRCP's Amzath Basha Sheikh Bepari, who is also the current Deputy CM of the state.

This time elections will be a fight between Madhavi Reddy who is contesting for the first time and two-time MLA Basha aiming at hattrick.

In a conversation with NewsMeter, Kadapa Reddamma shared her aspirations for Kadapa and how she wanted to bring the presence of TDP to Kadapa.

NewsMeter: No women have contested from Kadapa so far? You have set an example. What are your thoughts?

Madhavi: No women have contested Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Kadapa so far. It is the first time that I am contesting as MLA and Congress’ YS Sharmila is contesting as MP candidate. But even before YS Sharmila’s announcement, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu wanted to bring a woman candidate to contest from this Assembly constituency.

My single formula is to serve people in rural areas. On the same day when my candidature was announced. Naidu was arrested. We did not have any strategy for the Lok Sabha polls. We decided to fight for Naidu by holding protests and visiting door-to-door. That itself was a campaigning for me.

I work for 10-12 hours and I have visited 80,000 houses in the last eight months.

NM: How important is winning Kadapa for TDP?

Madhavi: In the last 20 years, TDP did not win. The cadre is not strong, so we had to rebuild it brick by brick.

Because the ruling YSRCP felt that Kadapa was their kingdom and they were the kings, I had to fight with the police and contest the cases registered against me and the TDP cadres. We have seen too many land-grabbing incidents in the last 5 years.

At times the YSRCP used to abuse my father-in-law Raj Gopal Reddy (former minister).

NM: Who do you think is your competitor?

Madhavi: YS Avinash Reddy rules here. Things go as he wishes. Fortunately, being a woman, I had the opportunity to enter everyone's houses and interact with them.

Most importantly, it is not the MLA face that people look at but it's YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who the people look up to.

Earlier, people voted for late YS Rajasekhara Reddy to make him the CM. But things have changed now.

NM: Will you be able to become the first non-minority MLA in Kadapa after three decades?

Madhavi: I will win as the MLA. I want to lot of change in Kadapa, which can be only possible through the MLA seat.

I am more concerned about the lack of civic infrastructure, the perennial problem of drinking water, the ganja menace, and women’s security.

The encroachment of private lands and illegal occupation of government lands within the constituency are allegedly at the behest of the ruling YSRCP party.

NM: How is the election campaign going on?

Madhavi: This is the last stage and I am excited. I am relaxed because I completed door-to-door campaigning long back. Now, we are ready for the polling day.

She was always supported by her husband Srinivasa Reddy aka Vasu, the TDP Politburo Member and TDP Kadapa district President.