Incumbent Kadapa MP from YSRCP YS Avinash Reddy, who is an accused in the murder of his uncle and former MP YS Vivekananda Reddy, retained his seat with a margin of over 62,000 votes. Avinash is the cousin of outgoing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Kadapa saw a heated battle between Avinash and his cousin, CM Jagan’s sister and Andhra Pradesh Congress chief YS Sharmila. Sharmila ran her campaign against Avinash primarily around the murder case, with support from Viveka’s daughter, Dr Suneetha Narreddy.
Sharmila and Suneetha, as well as the opposition parties, have accused Jagan of shielding his uncle’s killers, alluding to the accused Avinash and his father YS Bhaskar Reddy.
While Avinash polled 6,05,143 votes, Sharmila came in third with only 1,41,039 votes. TDP’s Chadipiralla Bhupesh Subbarami Reddy came in second with 5,42,448 votes.
Former minister and former MP Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) who was Jagan’s father, was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019, weeks before the previous elections.
In April last year, the CBI arrested Avinash Reddy's father YS Bhaskar Reddy, a cousin of YSR. The CBI had told the court that Bhaskar Reddy, Avinash Reddy and their follower Devireddy Shiva Shankar Reddy hatched a conspiracy to murder Vivekananda Reddy as he had opposed the Kadapa Lok Sabha ticket to Avinash Reddy. Avinash Reddy has denied the allegations against him and his father and alleged that the CBI ignored several key facts in the case.
Avinash himself was also arrested in the case in June 2023. A few weeks before his arrest, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) attempted to arrest Avinash after he skipped appearing before the agency thrice for questioning in the murder case. CBI officials rushed to Kurnool and held talks with district officials to make Avinash surrender, after he stayed put at a hospital for four days, claiming he was there for his ailing mother. Avinash’s supporters reached the area in huge numbers, in a show of support, raising law and order concerns. The incident further strengthened the allegations that Jagan was shielding Avinash in the case.
Sharmila, who was earlier heading the YSR Telangana Party in Telangana, had merged her party with Congress just ahead of the Telangana Assembly elections held in December 2023. She was then appointed the head of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee. After assuming the post, Sharmila ran a heated campaign criticising her brother CM Jagan’s governance. YSRCP meanwhile accused Sharmila of colluding with the TDP, Jana Sena and BJP.