KURNOOL: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has won the Nandyal by-election in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh with a massive majority of 27,466 votes, administering a dose of adrenalin in the TDP’s rank and file as the party prepares for the 2019 general elections.Ruling party candidate Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy, who is the son of incumbent late Bhuma Nagireddy’s brother, secured a total of 97,076 votes, while YSRC candidate Silpa Mohan Reddy polled only 69,610 votes.
The Congress party, which also contested the election, just managed to secure 1,387 votes while NOTA votes polled were 1,231 and as many as 148 votes were declared invalid.
Since the commencement of counting in the morning, TDP has maintained a lead in every round, except for the 16th round, where it lagged behind a bit. YSRC leaders and activists, who were bragging about bagging Nandyal Assembly seat, were a disappointed lot, as the counting progressed round after round.
After the result was declared, an elated Chandrababu Naidu said the verdict was the people’s endorsement of his three-year performance while YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said it was like receiving a blow.
“This is a contest. I have received a blow now. But I will get a chance to hit back,” the Opposition leader said while Chandrababu Naidu pointed out that defeat of the YSRC chief came as a relief to the entire state. “People heaved a sigh of relief that anarchy and corruption were vanquished,” he said.
As counting was going on, YSRC candidate Silpa Mohan Reddy emerged from the counting centre after the 10th round, looking despondent and crest fallen and unable to reconcile with reality. After the counting concluded and winner was announced, returning officer Prasanna Venkatesh handed over the election certificate to Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy.
When the final verdict was out, celebrations in the TDP camp hit the roof. In Nandyal and Allagadda, where Bhuma family has considerable influence, their followers and TDP cadres came out on the roads and began dancing in celebration of the victory. Sweets were distributed and crackers burst. Bhuma family members were on cloud nine and were seen shaking hands, hugging and doing high-fives.
Similar scenes of celebrations were witnessed across the state at TDP offices and also at the Chief Minister’s residence in Undavalli, near Vijayawada.
Tweeting his response to the Nandyal by-election result, Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu thanked the people of Nandyal for showing their trust in TDP’s governance. “We will create a smart Nandyal by following our motto ‘People First,’ he said. People have endorsed development agenda, upheld values in public life. They rejected and punished negative politics & disorderliness, he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nandyal by-election winner and tweeted - congratulations to Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy Garu & our valued NDA ally TDP for the big victory in the Nandyal by-poll.