After the last day allowing nomination withdrawals from the upcoming Nagarjuna Sagar by-election, 41 candidates remain in the fray following the withdrawal of 19 candidates.
The returning officer and Miryalaguda RDO Rohit Singh revealed that election officials rejected an additional 17 nominations citing improperly-made applications.
There has, therefore, been a significant drop in the competitors for the seat - from the original 77 candidates to the present 41.
The elections are to be held on April 17 and the results will be announced on May 2. The state election commission has been busy making the necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of the polling process.
The fight for the seat will be a tough one with veteran Congress leader K Jana Reddy going head to head with the TRS' candidate,
newbie Nomula Bhagat, and the BJP's Panugothu Ravi Kumar Naik.
Many feel that the voters in the area will be inclined to vote for Bhagat since he is the son of the previous MLA, Nomula Narsimhaiah, whose
untimely passing has necessitated the by-election.
The TRS's choice may well work in its favour as the youth of the constituency may see in the young candidate a dynamic leader, especially as many are already commenting on
Jana Reddy's unsuitability for the role citing the septuagenarian's age.