As expected, the YSR Congress party has swept the by-elections in the State by winning 15 out 18 assembly seats. The party has also won the Nellore Lok Sabha seat.
The process that changed the contours of State politics was triggered during the No Confidence Motion against the government on December 5 last year, culminated on Friday with YSR Congress emerging victorious on 15 assembly seats. The ruling Congress party was confined to just two seats while the Telangana Rashtra Samithi maintained its dominance in the Telangana region by winning the Parkal assembly seat.
The YSRC, launched by Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy after the death of his father and former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy has dwarfed all the political bigwigs in the State. Despite Jaganmohan Reddy's arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the disproportionate assests case in the midsts of by-elections campaign, the YSRC was able to win a majority of seats following a strong sympathy wave. Jagan's mother Vijayamma and sister Sharmila filled the vacuum and ensured that the party wins the battle of survival.
Despite several political stalwarts including Union Ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and G Vayalar Ravi, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana and over two dozens ministers taking part in the campaign, the ruling Congress party failed to impress the voters. It was confined to just two seats - Ramchandrapuram and Narsapuram.
The TRS too was able to maintain its supremacy in the Telangana region by winning Parkal assembly seat of Warangal district. The multi-cornered contest between the TRS, BJP, Congress and TDP did not help YSRC candidate Konda Surekha win the elections. She lost the seat to TRS candidate Moluguri Bikshapati by 1,562 votes.
The Congress party also lost the prestigious seat of Tirupati, which was vacated by K Chiranjeevi after his election to the Rajya Sabha. YSRC candidate Bhumana Karunakar Reddy defeated his nearest rival M Venkat Ramana of Congress party by a margin of 18,117 votes. It may be mentioned that Chiranjeevi won the Tirupati seat in 2009 elections with a margin of nearly 15,000.
In Nellore Lok Sabha constituency, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy of YSRC defeated the high profile Congress leader and former central minister T Subbarami Reddy by securing 2,91,745 votes.
The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security in the constituencies spread over 12 districts. About 70 per cent polling was recorded in Nellore and an average 80 per cent in the assembly constituencies in the by-elections held on Tuesday.