Pallam Raju, Congress' Hope In Its Old Bastion Kakinada (image@Pallamrajumm)

Mallipudi Mangapati Pallam Raju is one of the key candidates of Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha election. For the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Raju contested from Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency of Andhra Pradesh. The constituency is not unfamiliar for Raju as it was his hometown, and has served as its MP thrice before.

Raju’s entry into politics was circumstantial. He started off his career as an Information Technology professional. He started working as career assistant at Temple University, USA in 1985. He also worked as a research associate at the Federal Group Incorporated, a management consulting firm at South Natick, USA from 1986–87. In 1988, Raju returned to India, when his father suffered from stroke.

Raju’s father, M S Sanjeevi Rao, was a Congress leader, and a Union Minister and chairman of India’s first electronic commission. Rao was known as the “father of Indian electronics”. During the 1989 general election, Raju was encouraged by the Indian National Congress (INC), to contest from Kakinada, from where his father was elected as MP in 1971.

Raju won the election, and became the MP at the age of 27. Over the years, Raju has served several responsibilities on units of the grand old party, as well as on boards of successful Public Limited Companies, including the position of director on the boards of Indian Airlines and Air India between 1994 and 1997.

During the 2004 election, he was re-elected as the MP from the same constituency. During the 2009 Lok Sabha election, he retained the seat, but lost it during the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He lost the seat to Telugu Desam Party’s (TDS) Thota Narasimham.

The election atmosphere in Andhra Pradesh has been fierce this year. With the very public feud among the YSR family background, and TDS, BJP, and Jana Sena Party allying together, the scenario for Congress was not very welcoming. However, Raju is confident that he could retain the seat.