YSR's son & the battle for Kadapa

His father has always been called the "Tiger of Kadapa". This elections, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's industrialist son Jagan Mohan Reddy has taken the political plunge.

Jagan is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Kadapa, a district that has always been more notorious for village groups indulging in violence spanning many generations, for supremacy.

"Climb on to my vehicle," Jagan Mohan Reddy exhorts, eager to show that he is a man of action, ready to solve problems.

The 36-year-old son of the Chief Minister is the Congress candidate from Kadapa that has been the family's pocketborough for over 25 years now. Jagan's rise as an industrialist has sparked sharp criticism from the Opposition, but the politician in Jagan is quick to go for Chandrababu Naidu's jugular.

Says Jagan: "From two acres of dry land to where Chandrababu Naidu is today, do you think he has the right to even talk about corruption?'' Naidu's Telugu Desam has logged on to Srikanth Reddy, chairman of a Hyderabad-based IT company, to take on Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Says Srikanth: "Congress political culture in Kadapa is based on acquiring ill-gotten wealth and use it to buy votes by leaders and cadre.''

Mention Kadapa, and the images that come to mind are that of violence and bloodshed. Elections 2009 presents the voters of Kadapa with an opportunity to change the district's brand equity.