TDP, YSR Congress to lock horns in Nandyal assembly bypoll in Andhra Pradesh on Aug 23

A total of 2.19 lakh voters of Nandyal Assembly constituency in Kurnool district of Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh will exercise their franchise in the by-election that both TDP and YSR Congress Party will be eager to win.

Listen to Story

Advertisement
Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu.
Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu.

In Short

  • 2.19 lakh voters of Nandyal Assembly seat will decide fate of 13 candidates.
  • Naidu held back-to-back roadshows in the constituency to seek votes for Brahmanand Reddy.
  • The election campaign has so far witnessed TDP and YSR Cong hurling salvos at each other.

The Nandyal assembly by-election in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday is set to be an all-out battle between the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), and is expected to set the tone for the 2019 general elections. A total of 2.19 lakh voters of Nandyal Assembly constituency in Kurnool district of Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh will exercise their franchise in the by-election.

advertisement

For the very first time, the Election Commission will use Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in the bypoll, which will decide the fates of 13 contestants.

Both the ruling TDP and principal opposition party YSR Congress have gone all out against each other in the run-up to the election. While YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy himself led the campaign for 54-year-old party candidate and veteran leader Shilpa Mohan Reddy, the ruling Telugu Desam Party has fielded its star campaigner and MLA Balakrishna and party's candidate Bhuma Brahmanand Reddy, who turned 33 in March this year. TDP chief and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also held back-to-back roadshows today in the constituency as a last-minute push for the young and inexperienced candidate Brahmanand Reddy.

SITTING MLA DIED IN MARCH

The bypoll was rescheduled after sitting MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy died due to a heart attack in March this year. Bhuma Nagi Reddy and his daughter Bhuma Akhila Priya had won the election on YSR Congress party ticket, but later switched over to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Allagadda MLA Bhuma Akhila Priya (26) was sworn in as the youngest minister of the Naidu cabinet in April this year.

The election campaign has so far witnessed both parties hurling salvos at each other. While YSR Congress chief has been personally targeting TDP Chief and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the ruling party has accused Jagan Reddy of using corrupt practices to win the election.

The ruling party also landed in a controversy when its star campaigner Balakrishna, who is also the son of party founder NTR and a close relative of CM Chandrababu Naidu, was caught slapping his fan and even distributing money. An independent organisation called Election Watch has said that a whopping Rs 150 crore has been spent by the political parties to woo voters in the constituency.

ALSO READ |

Nandyal election: Chandrababu Naidu slams YSR Chief Jaganmohan Reddy over corrupt practices

Jaganmohan does it again, says nothing wrong if Chandrababu Naidu is hanged