As expected, the Telugu Desam Party won the by-election to the zilla parishad territorial constituency (ZPTC) seat in Pulivendula, the stronghold of YSR Congress party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
TDP candidate Mareddy Latha Reddy, wife of senior leader and MLC B Tech Ravi, won a resounding victory with 6,735 votes, securing a majority of 6,050 votes.
Her victory was expected on the day of polling itself, as the TDP went all out to grab the seat, even allegedly indulging in large scale rigging and intimidation of the YSRCP workers.
But what has surprised everybody was the way YSRCP candidate Hemanth Reddy lost his deposit, He managed to secure only 685 votes.
This has clearly established that the polling was more or less one-sided in favour of the TDP in the entire Pulivendula.
Those who are aware of the political dynamics in Pulivendula can vouch for the fact that there is no way the YSRCP candidate can lose his deposit, though one cannot rule out the possibility of him losing the election.
“Every village in Pulivendula has huge following for Jagan and the YSRCP. So, there is no way the party candidate gets just 685 votes. It clearly shows that the TDP has indulged in massive electoral malpractices,” a political analyst said.
Yet, TDP supporters celebrated jubilantly, taking to the streets and showering blessings on Latha Reddy. They say democracy has triumphed in Pulivendula.
Even TDP president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said it is a victory of democracy. He pointed out that the fact that 11 candidates filed nominations itself showed the democratic nature of the polls.
Referring to reports that some voters cast their ballots in Pulivendula for the first time in 30 years, Chandrababu Naidu suggested that this reflected the earlier state of affairs in the region.
The Chief Minister directed TDP leaders to use this victory to spread awareness among the people, stressing that residents of Pulivendula were finally beginning to free themselves from Jagan Reddy’s authoritarian practices.
He said it should be made known across the state that people there had voted after three decades, and reiterated to his ministers the importance of highlighting that the elections were conducted democratically.
