Three YSR Cong candidates file nomination for Council bypolls

The three candidates of the ruling YSR Congress on Wednesday filed their nominations for the by-election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council. The by-election is being held to fill the three seats under the Assembly quota that fell vacant after the incumbents resigned on their election to the state Assembly in May.

Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, former IPS officer Sheik Mohammad Iqbal and former MLA Challa Ramakrishna Reddy filed their nominations before Returning Officer P Balakrishnamacharyulu. Given its strength of 151 MLAs, the YSRC could bag all three seats.

As it stood no chance of winning even one seat, the opposition TDP did not field any candidate for the by-election. As such, the election of YSRC nominees could be an unanimous affair.

Last date for withdrawal of nominations is August 19 and the date for polling, if required, is August 26. Ramana was inducted into the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Cabinet on June 8 despite losing the Assembly election from Repalle.

He has now been nominated to the Council to fulfil the constitutional obligation. Iqbal, too, unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Hindupur but Jagan kept his word and nominated the former to the Upper House of the state Legislature.

Ramakrishna Reddy was a three-time MLA and sailed with TDP after 2014. He joined the YSRC days before the recent general elections.

Both Iqbal and Reddy hail from Kurnool district. The three Council seats fell vacant as the incumbents Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, Karanam Balarama Krishna Murthy and Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy resigned from their posts on their election to the Assembly.

While the tenure of two of these three seats is till March 29, 2023, one seat is up to March 29, 2021. In effect, the YSRC will be bagging one extra seat in the 58-member Council through this by-election.

Its tally will go up to nine..

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