KARIMNAGAR/ NALGONDA: Independent candidates T Sripal Reddy and Malka Komaraiah, supported by the PRTU and the BJP, were declared to have been elected to the Legislative Council through the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda and Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Teachers constituencies respectively.
Komaraiah got 12,959 first preference votes, easily trouncing his nearest rival Vanga Mahender Reddy who secured 7,182 votes. Former MLC Kura Raghotham Reddy secured only 428 votes.
The total valid votes polled for the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Teachers constituency were 24,144, of which 897 were deemed invalid. Komaraiah secured 12,959 votes while Mahender Reddy secured 7,182. In this Teachers constituency, 897 votes were invalid.
On behalf of Komaraiah, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay campaigned extensively. The BJP made GO 317 a poll plank and claimed that teachers were suffering due to the order.
The fact that the ruling Congress did not field its candidate also made Komaraiah’s victory a cakewalk.
The contest for the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda was much closer, with Independent candidate A Narsi Reddy, supported by the UTF, giving a tough fight to Sripal Reddy. Sripal Reddy secured 13,969 votes after the elimination of 18 candidates.
These included BJP’s P Sarvotam Reddy, Poola Ravinder, who was backed by BC organisations, and Independent candidate Harshavardhan Reddy. The updated vote tally for Sripal Reddy was 13,969 votes.
A total of 24,135 votes were cast, with 494 deemed invalid and 23,641 valid votes. Candidates needed to secure a minimum of 11,822 valid votes to move forward in the contest.
At the end of counting of the first preference votes, the top contenders were Sripal Reddy with 6,035 votes, Alugubelli Narsireddy with 4,820 votes, and Harshavardhan Reddy with 4,437 votes. These first-preference counts set the stage for the elimination process.
A historic verdict: Bandi
Reacting to the result, Komaraiah said: “I won as an MLC because of the efforts of BJP workers and the support of TAPAS. I sincerely thank all the teachers who trusted me and voted for me. Resolving teachers’ issues, including GO 317, is my priority”.
Describing Komaraiah’s victory as a “historic verdict” given by teachers, Sanjay stated that it was possible due to the trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He dedicated the victory to the teachers and Modi.
Sanjay felicitated Komaraiah at the Ambedkar Stadium in Karimnagar in the presence of MLA Payal Shankar, former MLA NVSS Prabhakar and TAPAS state chief Hanumantha Rao.