YSRCP Retains Atmakur Seat In By-Election

The YSR Congress Party candidate in the Atmakur Assembly constituency by-election Mekapati Vikram Reddy won by a massive majority today.

He defeated the BJP's Bharat Kumar Yadav by 82,742 votes.

The by-election saw a polling of 1,37,081 votes out of a total votes of 2,13,338. While Reddy got 1,02,074 votes, Yadav got 19,332 votes.

The election also had 4,197 NOTA votes.

Reddy dominated right from the first round of the counting.

Reddy is the brother of the late ex-MLA of the constituency and former minister Mekapati Gautam Reddy, who had died of a cardiac arrest a few months back while in office.

Speaking to media persons after his victory, Vikram Reddy said that he would work hard to live up to the reputation of his elder brother Gautam Reddy. He thanked the people of his constituency for reposing their faith in his family.

He added that the by-election was held in a transparent manner, and that the welfare schemes being implemented by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had helped him secure a landslide victory. He said that there was clearly no decline in the popularity of Jagan among the people in the State, and praised the CM for ruling the State "like his father and former chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy".