This Article is From Aug 23, 2017

Bitter Attacks, Heavy Security, Drones As Andhra Pradesh's Nandyal Votes In By-Election

Voting began at 8 this morning for the Nandyal by-election in Andhra Pradesh, seen as a bellwether for assembly elections in the state in 2019, when national elections will also be held.

Bitter Attacks, Heavy Security, Drones As Andhra Pradesh's Nandyal Votes In By-Election

Nandyal by-election: Huge prestige battle between Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Jaganmohan Reddy

Nandyal (Andhra Pradesh): It is a single by-election, but Andhra Pradesh's main parties have turned the contest for the Nandyal assembly seat into a huge prestige battle with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and opposition leader Jaganmohan Reddy of the YSR Congress leading bitter and often personal campaigns that saw an exchange of sharp words and allegations.

Voting began at 8 this morning for the Nandyal by-election, seen as a bellwether for assembly elections in the state in 2019, when national elections will also be held.

There is massive security, with drones deployed to beam real-time images of the polling to control centres amid allegations from both sides of voters being bribed. Rs 16 crore were recovered from 90 people in run-up to the by-election and there were reports of betting worth hundreds of crores.

2,500 cops and six paramilitary units have been stationed for today's election. The Election Commission is using the voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) for the polls.  

By-elections are being held because the Nandyal legislator Bhuma Nagi Reddy died in March this year. Mr Reddy had won the seat as a YSR Congress candidate but switched to Mr Naidu's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) soon after. He was not alone; 20 of the 67 legislators who won in 2014 as YSR Congress candidates are now in the TDP.

"He stole 20 of our MLAs. Why should I not call him a thief?'' said Jagan Mohan Reddy while campaigning in Nandyal, seen as as stronghold of his YSR Congress. Nandyal's voters, Mr Reddy has said, will punish the Chief Minister for poaching.  

The 44-year-old opposition leader defined a new low when he said in a public meeting that there would be nothing wrong if Mr Naidu "were to be shot dead on the road." He later explained that he had "been carried away" by his emotions because the Chief Minister is "betraying the people."

Mr Naidu shot back saying he believes that Jagan Mohan Reddy's father, former chief minister YSR Reddy, was a behind-the-scenes player in an assassination attempt that saw Naxals target his convoy in 2003.

Twice, the chief minister also snapped at questions put to him by voters. "You take pensions that we give you. You use the roads built by us. You take rations and other benefits, why should you not vote for us?" Those who asked about undelivered promises and schemes he billed as Mr Reddy's "lackeys."

Mr Reddy's supporters circulated an old video from last year in which Silpa Mohan Reddy, his candidate in Nandyal - who was then in the TDP - is seen pleading for funds to widen roads in constituency. The Chief Minister retorted on camera that there wasn't enough money.

"He is making promises only so that he can get your votes," Mr Reddy warned voters at a public meeting soon after the Chief Minister had promises to provide better infrastructure and other facilities.
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