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HyderabadAug 14, 2025 13:08 IST
First published on: Aug 14, 2025 at 13:08 IST
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In another blow to the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won the Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) for the first time in three decades in Pulivendula – the stronghold of the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy family.
In Pulivendula, the seat which Jagan represents in the Assembly, TDP’s Latha Reddy polled 6,735 votes, defeating her nearest rival Hemant Reddy of the YSRCP by a margin of over 6,000 votes. The bypoll here was necessitated by the death of sitting ZPTC member Maheshwar Reddy, whose son Hemant was the YSRCP candidate.
Hailing the party’s victory, senior TDP leader and party’s national spokesperson Jyotsna Tirunagari told The Indian Express that the result was a “victory of democracy”. “We promised the people free and fair elections and the results are for everyone to see. For the past 30 years, there have been no elections here and candidates were forced upon the people. The huge margin of victory just shows that people have sided with democracy,” she added.
With this victory, the TDP has seemingly dealt another blow to the YSRCP in its own backyard after its strong performance in the region in last year’s Assembly polls, where it managed to win seven seats while restricting Jagan’s party to just three seats.
Reacting to the results, YSRCP Kadapa MP Y S Avinash Reddy, who is also Jagan’s cousin, said the party had already provided evidence that massive fake voting took place. “The police and TDP cadres worked together to station thousands of ruling party workers at polling stations, intimidated voters, prevented agents from entering, tore up agent forms, and assaulted our workers. Can this be called polling? Can this be called an election? Our cadre need not be disheartened—those who committed such atrocities will be taught a lesson democratically, and that day is not far,” he said.
In neighbouring Vontimitta too, the TDP’s M Krishna Reddy defeated his YSRCP rival I Subba Reddy. The by-election here was necessitated after Amarnath Reddy resigned after he became the Rajampet MLA in the 2024 Assembly polls.
Along with the ZPTC bypolls, Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) elections were also held in Ramakuppam of Chittoor, Karampudi of Palnadu and Vidavalur of Nellore, where the counting of votes is still ongoing.
The week leading up to the bypolls too has been stormy with the YSRCP and TDP trading barbs. YSRCP has alleged that the TDP is misusing state machinery in its bid to win the high-stakes bypolls and accused it of shifting polling booths to far-off places to prevent YSRCP supporters from voting.
Even on polling August 12, clashes erupted between TDP and YSRCP supporters leading to Avinash Reddy being taken into “preventive custody” along with TDP MLC Ram Gopal Reddy.
Ahead of the polls, a YSRCP delegation had submitted a memorandum to officials of the State Election Commission (SEC) in Vijayawada demanding them to immediately halt the “unprecedented subversion of democracy” by the TDP.
On Wednesday, Jagan addressed a press conference where he slammed the TDP for “hijacking the election” and demanded the cancellation of the polls.
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