The upcoming Nandyal bye election in Andhra Pradesh saw more political action on Wednesday as former TDP MLC Silpa Chakrapani Reddy, who was the Kurnool president, resigned from the party.
Chakrapani Reddy is the younger brother of Shilpa Mohan Reddy, the present YSRCP candidate for the Nandyal constituency.
Chakrapani Reddy told the media that he was upset at being sidelined by Andhra Chief Minister and TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu, ever since the induction of Allagadda MLA Bhuma Akhila Priya into the state cabinet, as Tourism Minister.
“We will show what we are capable of after the bye-election. The Bhuma group troubled us while we were in the TDP,” he told reporters.
However, the TDP has also responded, with district president Somisetty Venkateswarlu reportedly saying, “First, his brother left us and now his younger brother. It only shows they worked out a well-strategised plan to push us into crisis. But that would have no impact. Their game is totally exposed."
Chakrapani is expected to meet YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy and be formally inducted into the party on Thursday.
Nandyal, a constituency in the state's Rayalaseema area, has been witnessing a political void ever since the death of its sitting MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy from a heart attack on March 12 this year.
After winning on a YSRCP ticket along with his daughter Bhuma Akhila Priya in 2014, the MLA had defected to the TDP in February last year.
The fight between the TDP and the YSRCP was taking the shape of family conflicts across both the parties as well, with the TDP naming Akhila Priya's cousin, Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy, as its candidate.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission announced that the election will be held on August 23.
While the last date of nomination is August 5, scrutiny of nomination will be done on August 7 and last date of withdrawal of candidates is August 9.
The counting of votes will be held on August 28.
The Election Commission said that electronic voting machines and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) will be used in the bye-elections in all the polling stations.
IANS inputs
