KADAPA: The TDP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has registered a landslide victory in the Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections in Kadapa district, winning 37 of the 39 seats and reducing the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) to just two. The verdict paves the way for the NDA to capture the Kadapa Zilla Parishad chair after nearly 25 years.
The biggest setback for YSRCP president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy came from his home constituency of Pulivendula, where the NDA won five of the seven ZPTC seats, leaving the YSRCP with two. The results mark a dramatic reversal of the political equation in the district, where the YSRCP had won nearly 49 of the 50 ZPTC seats in the 2021 elections.
Of the 39 ZPTC seats, NDA candidates were elected unanimously in 23 constituencies following the withdrawal of nominations on October 27. These included 19 seats for the TDP, three for the BJP and one for the Jana Sena Party. Elections were held in the remaining 16 constituencies, with counting on Friday.
The NDA won 14, while the YSRCP secured only two. The NDA’s performance in Pulivendula was equally impressive in the other local body elections. Of the 40 municipal wards, alliance candidates won 20 unanimously and secured 17 of the remaining 20, taking their tally to 37. The YSRCP won just three wards.
In the MPTC elections, the NDA secured 64 of the 65 seats in the Pulivendula Assembly constituency. Its candidates were elected unanimously in 64 seats, while an Independent won the remaining seat in Alireddypalle village of Vempalle mandal. The YSRCP failed to win even one MPTC seat.
Among the seven ZPTC seats in Pulivendula, the NDA candidates were elected unanimously in Thondur, Simhadripuram and Chakrayapet. The alliance won Pulivendula and Lingala in the contested elections, while the YSRCP retained Vempalle and Vemula.
With the NDA securing a comfortable majority, attention has shifted to the selection of the Zilla Parishad chairperson. Senior TDP leader and former MLC Putha Narasimha Reddy and BJP leader Dr Chadipiralla Rajesh Reddy, nephew of Jammalamadugu MLA C Adinarayana Reddy, are among the contenders.
The final decision is expected to depend on discussions among the NDA partners. The results mark a significant setback for the YSRCP in Jagan’s home district and signal the NDA’s expanding electoral presence across Kadapa’s local bodies.
Jailed YSRCP candidate wins Pellakur ZPTC seat
Nellore: YSRCP candidate Kamireddy Satyanarayana Reddy won the Pellakur ZPTC election in Tirupati district by a margin of 1,719 votes, despite being lodged in Nellore Central Jail in connection with an attempted murder case. He filed his nomination while in judicial remand but could not campaign or reach out to voters personally. His wife, K Prabhavathamma, and daughter, Kamireddy Rajini, led the campaign