VISAKHAPATNAM:
Former national players
from various sports and senior politicians are currently striving for another victory in the Assembly elections. Tammineni Sitaram, a former weightlifter and Assembly Speaker from Amudalavalasa, and Dharmana Krishnadas, a former International player and
Andhra University
Volleyball team captain, former deputy CM from Narasannapeta in Srikakulam district, are contesting on the
YSRCP
ticket.
Meanwhile, P Ganababu, a former international volleyball player and current president of the AP Volleyball Association from TDP, is contesting from Visakhapatnam West.
it is recalled that the trio has won the elections multiple times and is currently encountering tough competition from their opponents. Tammineni Sitaram, who is 63 years old, began his political journey as a student leader in Arts College in 1977 and also served as the district sports council secretary in the 1980s. He has been elected as an MLA six times and served as a Minister twice in the TDP government, participating in numerous weightlifting competitions. After being elected on a YSRCP ticket in the previous elections, he was chosen as the Assembly speaker by the YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2019. Currently, he is up against the TDP candidate and his nephew, Kuna Ravi Kumar, in the constituency.
Krishna Das, who is 67 years old and a former Deputy CM, represented the Indian team in international tournaments in the late 70s. He was part of the All India Universities team and also a member of the bronze medal-winning AP state team in the 25th senior national held in Kolkata in the 1970s. As the former captain of the Andhra University team, he played for several years for the AP state team and also served as the manager of the Indian Volleyball team in 2007. He has held the position of president for the Srikakulam district Olympic Association and vice president for the AP Olympic Association for two decades. He was elected three times in 2004, 2009, and 2019. Currently, he is competing against TDP's senior leader Baggu Ramanamurthy in the Narasannapeta constituency.
Petakamsetti Ganababu, the president of the AP Volleyball Association and current MLA from Visakha West, used to be a national player. He represented the AP team for several years before representing India in international tournaments. Currently, he is in a political battle with Adari Anand Kumar of YSRCP, the chairman of Visakha Dairy, in the Visakha West Constituency. Ganababu was first elected in 1999 in the Pendurthi segment. He emerged victorious in the elections of 2014 and 2019 in the Visakha West Constituency. Various sports associations of Visakhapatnam are now supporting him in the elections.
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