It is going be a tough fight between Telugu Desam and YSR Congress in Avanigadda Assembly constituency if the results of a survey done in May are anything to go by. The Congress is placed in a poor third slot.
The Election Commission on Friday announced bypoll for Avanigadda on August 21 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of sitting TDP MLA Ambati Brahmanaiah. There is still no clarity on whether an election will indeed take place as there is a suggestion that the Congress and YSRC should not put up a candidate following certain conventions. The TDP pointed out that it did not field a candidate when a byelection happened after the death of former CLP leader P Janardhan Reddy and when the late YSR’s widow Vijayamma contested from Pulivendula.
Official Language Commission chairman Mandali Buddha Prasad, the losing candidate in 2009, has already conveyed his unwillingness to contest, leaving the Congress without a strong candidate. If the Congress finally decides not to contest, it is more than likely that YSR Congress too may opt out.
Unlike certain constituencies in Coastal-Rayalaseema region where YSR Congress is said to be enjoying a clear lead over the TDP, the gap between the two in Avanigadda is too narrow to offer any comfort to either. According to the survey conducted by People’s Pulse, a Hyderabad-based outfit, around 42 percent preferred YSRC and 38 percent TDP. The difference is well within the five percent margin of error that any survey is prone to. Interestingly, a majority of the respondents also said they would consider both the party and the candidate at the time of voting. This suggests that the dynamics could change if the TDP fields the son of the late Brahmanaiah, while YSRC is toying with the idea of picking the doctor-son of former minister Simhadri Satyanarayana.