Cong confident of winning Tekkali constituency

Srikakulam, Sept 9 :

 The sudden death of chief minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is being viewed in political circles as a big blow to Opposition parties, particularly the Telugu Desam and Praja Rajyam Party, fighting the by-election in the Tekkali Assembly constituency, scheduled on Sept 10.

As the campaign came to a close on Tuesday evening, these parties had been banking on the anti-incumbency factor and soaring prices of essential commodities including vegetables.

With the sudden demise of YSR, campaigning by the Congress has practically come to a standstill. The ghastly incident has generated a mass upsurge of sympathy. With barely 24 hours left for campaigning, Revenue Minister Dharmana Parasada Rao, the TDP and the PRP have stepped up their campaign. The Congress leaders during the last three days have converted their election campaign into condolence meetings for Dr Reddy to sustain this sympathy wave.

The Congress is confident that it will be cakewalk for its candidate K Bharathi as there is massive public sympathy in favour of the Congress due to sudden death of YSR.Already people are sympathetic towards the Congress in the constituency as the by-election had been necessitated by the death of K Revathipathy whose widow is now in the fray.

Dr Reddy’s son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy also made an appeal to voters to pay befitting homage to his father by voting for Congress. However, TDP Polit Bureau member and former MP K Errannaidu has been campaigning extensively for his brother K Achim Naidu and appealing to people to put an end to Congress misrule by defeating at hustings.

Praja Rajyam candidate Duvvada Sreenivas is giving a tough fight to both the TDP and the Congress. Electioneering will come to end at 5 pm on Tuesday and polling would be held on Thursday. The counting of ballots would be taken up on September 14 at the Government Men’s College in Srikakulam.

Security arrangements:-

District Collector Nagulapalle Srikanth, Superintendent of Police Naganna and Election Observer for Tekkali M I Patadia have made intensified security arrangements for the peaceful conduct of elections on Sept 10 in Tekkali Assembly constituency.

District Collector said that 36 villages had been identified as sensitive in the district. Seven cases were filed against those, who violated election code of conduct. About 1,200 polling personnel were being pressed into service on the polling day.

Superintendent of Police Naganna said six platoons of APSP police were being deployed in Tekkali in connection with the election. Besides 1,200 police force, including 4 DSPs, 14 CIs and 53 SIs were being deployed. About 1.74 lakh voters would exercise their franchise and counting of votes would be taken up on September 14.