Jagan, Vijayamma set new records

YSR Congress Party candidates from Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly constituencies, Ys Jaganmohan Reddy and YS Vijayalakshmi respectively, have set new records of sorts in the by-elections by winning the two constituencies with huge majority.

Mr Ys Jaganmohan Reddy won the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency with a majority of 5,21,613 votes surpassing his 2009 margin 1,78,846 votes. Mr Jaganmohan Reddy was credited with getting the confidence of 6,55,496 voters in this election, up from his earlier 542,611 votes.

Both his main opponents Congress candidate DL Ravindra Reddy and Telugu Desam Party candidate MV Mysoora Reddy lost their deposits. Dr Ravindra Reddy, who is also the Minister for Healthy, secured 1,34,496 votes and Mr Mysoora Reddy managed to get the support of 1,28,727 voters.

Meanwhile YSR Congress candidate YS Vijayalakshmi won the Pulivendula Assembly constituency, defeated her nearest rival YS Vivekananda Reddy with a  margin of 85,110 votes.

Ms Vijayalakshmi secured the confidence of 1,14,958 voters while Mr Vivekananda Reddy, former Agriculture minister and her brother-in-law, got 28,626 votes. TDP candidate Ravindranath Reddy, or B Tech Ravi as he is popularly known, managed to secure only 11,552 votes. Ms Vijayalakshmi surpassed her late husband and former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s record of 60,000 votes in 2009 elections.

The Election Commission of India is yet to declare the figures officially.

Both the YSR Congress Party candidates led right from the first round of counting, which was held at the JMJ Junior College for Girls in Kadapa.

Mr Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother quit the Congress in November last year and also resigned from Parliamentary and Assembly seats respectively, accusing the leadership of attempting to split their families.

As if to prove their charges right, the Congress gave the party ticket to Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy to contest against his mother Ms Vijayalakshmi.

The YSR Congress Party was launched in March of this year.