NELLORE: While the ruling YSRC has set a target of one lakh majority in Atmakur by-election, the BJP has been trying to increase its vote share by deploying its star campaigners. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA and former minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy. The bypoll is scheduled to be held on June 23.
It may be noted that the erstwhile Nellore district is a stronghold of YSRC. It won all the 10 Assembly seats in the district in the last elections, besides bagging the two Lok Sabha seats leaving a blank to opposition parties. In the 2014 elections, the YSRC bagged seven 10 Assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats.
BJP candidate Bharat Kumar Yadav intensified his campaign to give a tough fight to Mekapati Vikram Reddy of YSRC. It may be noted that the BJP had given a tough fight and lose the Atmakur Assembly seat in the 1985 elections by just 89 votes. Though it is not very tough to win the bypoll for the ruling YSRC, it has laid emphasis on the victory margin of one lakh votes to show its strength.
A minister and an MLA have been deployed in each mandal of the Assembly constituency to oversee the YSRC campaign. The YSRC is leaving no stone unturned to win the Assembly seat with the highest majority, said a party leader.