YSRC-BJP to slug it out for Atmakuru seat in bypoll

Nellore (AP): The ruling YSR Congress feels the June 23 by-election for Atmakuru Assembly constituency, in SPS Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, will be a cakewalk for it, but the BJP is determined to give a tough fight. Though on paper there are 14 candidates in the fray, the contest is only between the YSRC and the BJP.

Going by tradition, where the rival party does not put up its candidate in the event of death of a sitting legislature, the Telugu Desam opted out of the by-poll contest. While the BJP could bank on its political ally Jana Sena's backing, it might also benefit from the tacit support of TDP, given the caste and other equations in the constituency.

The by-election for the Assembly seat has been caused due to the death of sitting legislator and then Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy in February this year. Goutham Reddy (in pic) won the Atmakuru seat twice successively in 2014 and 2019, though his majority dipped from 31,412 to 22,276. His younger brother and YSRC nominee Mekapati Vikram Reddy is making a political debut through the by-poll.

Though hailing from a political family – his father Rajamohan Reddy was a former MP – Vikram is considered a political novice but the ruling party feels the ‘sympathy' factor will work in his favour. “There is enormous goodwill for the Mekapati family in Atmakuru. Goutham Reddy contributed significantly to the constituency development, establishing an industrial park in 200 acres and creating hundreds of jobs for the local youth. People are sad over his untimely demise,” state Civil Supplies Minister Karumuri Nageswara Rao noted.

Karumuri, who is one of the ministers vigorously campaigning for the party in the by-election, told PTI that they were targeting a majority of not less than one lakh votes. “The welfare schemes implemented in the last three years, coupled with good governance, have created a positivity for the government and the YSRC,” the Minister observed.

According to the ruling party, a sum of Rs 705 crore has been distributed in Atmakuru constituency alone under various direct money transfer schemes in the last three years. As many as 77,644 families had benefited from at least one scheme and, of these, over 45,000 families got multiple benefits under different schemes, it claims.

The BJP has fielded Bharat Kumar Gundlapalli, belonging to the Yadava community, one of the dominant forces in the constituency. The party has a sizeable base in Atmakuru, thanks to M Venkaiah Naidu, who is now the VP. “Atmakuru holds mirror to the regressive rule of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. Lack of development is clearly evident,” BJP state general secretary S Vishnuvardhan Reddy pointed out. – PTI