By IANS,
Hyderabad : The newly launched YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh will face its first electoral test Sunday as its founder leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy takes on the Congress party and the Telugu Desam Party rivals in the by-election from the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency.
The by-poll for the Pulivendula assembly seat will also be held Sunday where Reddy’s mother Y.S. Vijayalaxmi is seeking re-election.
The by-elections were caused by the resignation of Jaganmohan Reddy, popularly called Jagan, and Vijayalaxmi from the Lok Sabha and the state legislature respectively in November last year when they quit the Congress party and later launched the YSR Congress Party.
As many as 13,28,869 voters, including 6,80,566 women, are eligible for voting in the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency.
Massive security arrangements have been made for the by-elections, which will witness a triangular contest between the ruling Congress, the YSR Congress Party and the Telugu Desam Party.
More than 11,000 security personnel from state police and central paramilitary forces are deployed to ensure peaceful polling.
A total of 42 candidates are in fray in Kadapa while 25 are contesting for the assembly seat in Pulivendula, one of the seven assembly segments of the Kadapa parliamentary constituency.
The election authorities have deployed 7,779 polling personnel at 1,512 polling centres. Polling will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The election authorities have made the arrangements for the live web cast of the polling process.
Director General of Police Aravinda Rao and intelligence chief Mahindar Reddy met state Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwarlal Saturday to review the security arrangements.
According to Rao, adequate forces have been deployed to ensure fair and peaceful elections. He said forces were mobilised from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The poll officials said additional security arrangements were made in view of the history of poll violence and rigging in the constituency.
The Congress has fielded state Health Minister D.L. Ravinder Reddy against Jagan while M.V. Mysoora Reddy is contesting as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate.
In Pulivendula, Vijayalaxmi is pitted against Congress candidate and her brother-in-law Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy.
Jagan was elected from Kadapa in April 2009 elections while Vijayalaxmi was elected unopposed from Pulivendula in the December 2009 by-election, caused by the death of her husband and then chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash.