The first major human conflict in the Palnadu region of coastal Andhra Pradesh dates back a millennium. The famed ‘Battle of Palnadu’ took place in the 12th century between the Macherla and Gurazala kingdoms, fought by two cousin brothers of the same dynasty.
Dubbed the 'Kurukshetra of the South', the story shares striking resemblances with the Hindu epic Mahabharata, involving a king going into exile. The king of Macherla was backed by his minister and intellectual reformer, Brahma Naidu, who introduced the concept of ‘Chepa Koodu,’ a practice of communal dining for people of all classes to end the oppressive caste system. Brahma Naidu is revered to this day for his noble work.
The king of Gurazala, controlled by his minister, Nayaki Nagamma, a cunning lady, provoked and created differences between the cousins by rigging a cockfight, which led to a feud. The fierce battle, which claimed many lives, has become a legend and bestowed a cultural identity upon the people of this region, who are seen as valorous and, on some occasions, vengeful. The deceased warriors of the Palnadu battle are immortalised in a temple dedicated to them where their heroics are remembered during an annual festival.
The tale of bloodshed is still alive in Palnadu, as is the cycle of violence, which now takes a different form. In contemporary history, the region is a powder keg, witnessing faction violence and revenge killings, often influenced by local politics.
A thousand years later, Macherla and Gurazala have transitioned from kingdoms into assembly constituencies, with political party leaders and their cadre replacing the rulers and their armies. Recently, violent clashes were reported between ruling YSRCP and TDP workers on the polling day, May 13, and the situation continues to be tense in these two constituencies.
“We haven’t slept until 3 am out of fear. Messages circulated that there would be an attack anytime on supporters of one party,” revealed a nervous village elder on Thursday. Petrol bombs were hurled, vehicles were torched, and people were attacked with sticks, rods, and stones over the past four days. Many with critical injuries have been hospitalised. The police have imposed Section 144 and are trying to restore peace with additional forces.
The region, which had experienced some peace for almost two decades, has been on edge for the last two years due to changes in the political landscape.
According to locals, the Macherla MLA and YSRCP candidate Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, and his brother have maintained a tight grip over the constituency, systematically weakening the TDP over the years. All the major factions, which usually align with political parties for protection, had no choice but to remain within the YSRCP and resolve issues under the aegis of the Pinnelli family, who have been ruling the constituency since 2004.
As a counter move, the TDP under Chandrababu Naidu decided to field Julakanti Brahmananda Reddy, a candidate with a long history in faction politics. Julakanti, the son of former Macherla legislator Durgamba, has revived the local TDP by encouraging factions loyal to him and the party. Julakanti had distanced himself from politics after being embroiled in a ghastly murder case in 2001, where seven Congress workers were hacked to death. Julakanti, a TDP leader at the time, was one of the accused.
Julakanti, who had been residing in Hyderabad, is back in the constituency and trying to consolidate his position as a strong challenger to Pinnelli, leading to flare-ups between YSRCP and TDP. In the adjoining Gurazala constituency, the situation is no better. The police seized country-made bombs during searches in the constituency. On polling day, mobs of TDP and YSRCP supporters clashed and pelted stones, resulting in head injuries. The police had to use force to disperse the crowd in various places.
The situation worsened when YSRCP MLA and Gurazala candidate, Kasu Mahesh Reddy, was targeted with stones in one of the villages, after which he was hurriedly escorted away. Mahesh accused the TDP leaders of attacking his supporters from backward sections and holding them up. The TDP candidate, Yarapathineni Srinivas Rao, a multiple-term legislator, is aggressively campaigning to win back the seat. Party workers in mobs and convoys paraded the constituency as a show of strength. Out of fear, shops and establishments were closed to escape the violence. In the ensuing chaos, police officials also received injuries.
In the Narasaraopet constituency within Palnadu, dozens of alleged TDP activists attacked the residence of YSRCP MLA and candidate Gopireddy Srinivas Reddy, prompting police to fire rubber bullets to diffuse the situation. The MLA was later put under house arrest. The TDP candidate Chadalawada Aravind Babu’s car and TDP office were also allegedly attacked by YSRCP supporters. In the Sattanapalle constituency in Palnadu, another troubled segment, minister and MLA Ambati Rambabu’s family members' car was damaged. The minister and MLA candidate accused the police of failing to act swiftly and maintain law and order.
Rayalaseema, another volatile region sharing similar characteristics with Palnadu, has seen extreme faction violence for decades. Warring factions have used every weapon at their disposal, from guns to bombs, to kill their adversaries, leaving thousands of families still reeling from the impact. In interior villages, many men bear the scars of violence, and some households are now only occupied by women, as their male relatives have been killed by rivals. Rayalaseema has inspired writers and filmmakers, resulting in numerous Telugu movies based on real incidents and leaders from the region.
After some years of calm, violence erupted in Rayalaseema again due to the struggle for dominance between parties and factions. Tadipatri constituency in Anantapur district demonstrates how typical faction politics work. In 2006, TDP leader and former legislator, Kethireddy Suryapratap Reddy was hacked to death in a train by a group of attackers who also used country-made bombs to create panic. His family suspected the involvement of J.C. Diwakar, then Congress minister and Tadipatri MLA.
Today, the rivalry remains within the families, but the parties have swapped. The deceased Venkatrammi Reddy's younger brother, Kethireddy Peddareddy, is the sitting MLA from YSRCP. From the JC family, Ashmith Reddy, son of J.C. Diwakar Reddy’s younger brother, is contesting against him on a TDP ticket. Since polling day, both groups have been staging protests and attacking each other. A flashpoint was reached when supporters of Peddareddy and the JC family engaged in a unique fight, aiming and bursting rockets and crackers at each other’s buildings, while locals watched and recorded the scene. The police had no choice but to send both the leaders out of the constituencies.
However, for unknown reasons, a large contingent of police force ransacked Peddareddy’s house, breaking CCTVs and furniture and vacating the inmates.
The constituency remained tense, with locals fearing the worst. “Villages supporting the losing candidate will migrate from here. That is what will happen after the results. That is a norm here, as the ruling party will crack down on them with full force. There will be some ghost villages too,” said a local leader.
The Election Commission, taking serious note of the violence, has suspended SP Bindhu Madhav of Palnadu and SP Amit Bardar of Anantapur districts. Another SP from Rayalaseema has also been transferred and is facing a departmental inquiry. Krishna Kanth Patel was the SP of Tirupati when a deadly attack on the TDP candidate of Chandragiri, Pulavarthi Nani, took place.
When Nani visited a local center to inspect EVM strong rooms as part of the protocol, his car was attacked with beer bottles, metal rods, and sticks by alleged supporters of YSRCP candidate Chevireddy Mohit. Though Nani escaped with minor injuries, his gunman sustained bleeding injuries and had to open fire to disperse the mob. Nani and his family alleged the attack was pre-planned to eliminate him.
In Chittoor constituency, there were allegations of kidnappings of booth agents.
YSRCP and TDP party leaders of Palnadu and Rayalaseema have been openly talking about retribution after the results on June 4. The same tone is echoed online, where supporters are warning rivals of the consequences once a winner is declared. Given the political mood, Rayalaseema and Palnadu regions are on the cusp of a violent outbreak post-election results.
