The Kadapa Parliament election in Andhra Pradesh is garnering significant attention in the Telugu states. This marks the first election in Kadapa following the CBI’s mention of MP Avinash Reddy’s name in Vivekananda Reddy’s charge-sheet. Numerous developments have unfolded in Kadapa over the past five years.
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Following the establishment of the YSRCP, Jagan Mohan Reddy resigned as a Congress MP and contested and won the 2011 by-election. Avinash Reddy was subsequently elected in the 2014 and 2019 elections, and he is now competing for the third time. In the current election, former CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s daughter and PCC President, Sharmila Reddy, is directly challenging her elder brother, CM Jaganmohan Reddy.
She is contesting against Avinash Reddy, the son of YS Bhaskar Reddy, who was fielded by Jagan. Previously, Rajasekhar Reddy’s wife, Vijayalakshmi, and younger brother, Vivekananda Reddy, faced each other in a Pulivendula by-election. However, this is the first instance of YS family members contesting against each other for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat.
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Sharmila, who campaigned for Jagan’s party’s victory in the 2019 elections, is now in opposition to the same party. TDP has also entered the election with dignity, fielding Bhupesh Reddy, the son of former MLC Chadipiralla Narayana Reddy. TDP is hopeful that the split in YSRCP votes will work in its favor. Observers suggest that if Sharmila and Avinash split the votes, TDP stands a chance of winning.
The murder of Viveka, Avinash’s younger sister, prior to the 2019 elections, was manipulated to Jagan’s advantage, yielding political benefits. Before the elections, demands were made to hand over the investigation of Viveka’s murder case to the CBI.
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Subsequently, significant developments occurred after Dastagiri became an approver, revealing the roles of Sivashankar Reddy, Bhaskar Reddy, and Avinash Reddy. Despite this, Jagan has stood by Avinash’s family.
Sharmila and Sunita, unable to accept Avinash’s candidacy amidst these accusations, are campaigning against it. Sharmila asserts that her contesting is a result of Avinash being given the ticket. Sunita is campaigning in support of her. Given Viveka’s strong following in Kadapa, Badwelu, Maidukuru, Kamalapuram, and Pulivendula, their campaign is gaining momentum in these areas.
