TDP posts win in Nandyal, YSR Cong downplays loss

HYDERABAD: The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh won the by-election to the Nandyal seat in Kurnool district by a huge margin of 27,466 votes over the YSR Congress, its closest rival.

While TDP candidate Bhuma Brahmanand Reddy polled 97,066 votes, his YSR Congress counterpart — Silpa Mohan Reddy — managed just 69,610. Congress candidate Abdul Khader lost his deposit by garnering a paltry 1,382 votes.

The by-election, necessitated by the sudden death of sitting MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy in March this year, was held on August 23. The votes were counted on Monday.

While the TDP went with Brahmanand, who happens to be Nagi Reddy’s nephew, the YSR Congress threw its lot behind Mohan Reddy – who defected from the ruling party’s ranks after being denied a ticket at the eleventh hour.

Both the parties put up a bitter fight for the seat because the bypoll was considered a referendum on the Chandrababu Naidu government’s performance in the state, besides a prelude to the assembly elections slated for April 2019.

When asked to comment on the results of the Nandyal bypoll, Naidu said the people had once again shown confidence in his promise of development, public welfare and good governance. “Voters have rejected the Opposition’s vicious hate-speech politics. Muslims, along with all sections, voted for the TDP in large numbers,” he added.

However, Mohan Reddy termed it the victory of money power. “TDP pumped in money to lure voters. Sympathy for Bhuma’s family also worked in their favour,” he said.