Independent candidates backed by former MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the TDP and the Congress shared the spoils, winning three seats each of the nine which went to the polls for the AP Legislative Council, according to unofficial results.
Despite the brave words of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and his Cabinet Colleagues that Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s political career would be finished after the results of the nine Local Authorities' Constituencies are out, it was the young leader and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party who were left smiling on Wednesday.
The Congress, especially Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who have been gloating about the fact that they had managed to capture the MLC seats and claimed to have out-manoeuvred Mr Jaganmohan Reddy and the TRS, were left red-faced when they tried for a repetition of the same in the Kadapa leader’s backyard.
The independent candidates backed the former MP won the LAC seats in Kadapa, Chittoor and West Godavari districts. However, the Congress efforts to ensure that Mr Jaganmohan Reddy should be defeated at any cost were evident by the margin of victory. Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s candidates won by one and nine votes in Chittoor and Kadapa districts respectively.
The result from the Chittoor district would be particularly galling for Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, since it is his home district.
The one vote margin of victory led to a recount, after pressure from the Chief Minister himself. However, the recount has not changed the result.
The Congress had made it a prestige issue to capture all the nine seats, and crush the juggernaut of Mr Jaganmohan Reddy in its nascent stages, by entrusting the ‘campaigning’ to Ministers DL Ravinder Reddy, Syed Ahmedullah, in-charge Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana and 20 Point Chairman Tulasi Reddy.
However, in the fight between the Congress and the former MP, it was the TDP which made the most of the situation, increasing its tally to three from the earlier one seat.
As for the results, the Congress won three seats in Srikakulam, Kurnool and Nellore, the Anantapur, West Godavari and East Godavari were captured by the TDP and the independent candidates backed by Mr Jaganmohan Reddy captured the seats in Kadapa, Chittoor and West Godavari.
The Hyderabad LAC seat has already been won by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.
In all, 6,793 voters exercised their franchise to elect 9 out of 33 candidates. The Congress had fielded 8 candidates, the Telugu Desam Party 6 and 19 were Independent candidates.
In Kadapa, four independents were in the fray against the lone Congress candidate who had the backing of Ministers DL Ravinder Reddy, Syed Ahmedullah, Kanna Lakshminarayana and 20 Point Chairman Tulasi Reddy.
In Anantapur, the TDP and Congress fought the poll face to face while in Nellore district, the TDP, Congress and an independent were locked in a triangular contest.
In West Godavari, the TDP candidate faced eight Independents while in East Godavari, two independents fought against the TDP and Congress.
The Congress candidate in Srikakulam came face to face with an independent whereas three independents had to fight the Congress and TDP candidates in Chittoor district. Incidentally, Chittoor district is Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s home turf but his rival Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy has been going against the Congress candidate.
In Kurnool again, the Independent, Congress and TDP candidates are locked in a triangular contest.