It is going to be a do-or-die battle for the three main political players in the state, the Congress, the Telugu Desam and the YSR Congress in what is being referred to as a mini-general election to 18 Assembly and Nellore Lok Sabha seats. Except the Tekkali bypoll that was held immediately after Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy passed away on September 2, 2009, neither the ruling Congress nor the main opposition Telugu Desam could secure a win in the byelections that were held in 22 Assembly and one Lok Sabha segment during the last 30 months. The ensuing bypolls spread over 12 districts in the state will reflect the general public mood towards the ruling Congress as well as the TD and the YSR Congress founded by Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The results of these bypolls will witness lot of political changes, including polarisation of political forces as the mood of the electorate will be set for the 2014 general elections. Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is facing arrest in connection with the illegal assets case being probed by the CBI, has taken the bypolls as a challenge and had been touring the bypoll segments to ensure that all 18 Assembly and the Nellore Lok Sabha are won by his party.
“If Jagan wins the bypolls, he will have a bright future in politics, or else the party will have to be wound up,” said a YSR Congress leader. Party insiders also feel that the party is not comfortably placed in Ray-adurgam and Parkal in Warangal district. For the first time, the YSR Congress will contest in the Telangana region, fielding former minister Konda Surekha in Parkal.
This seat will witness a multi-cornered contest due to the presence of the TRS, the BJP, the Congress, the Td and the YSR Congress in addition to some influential Independents. “We may scrape through even in Parkal due to the multi-cornered contest,” said a YSR Congress leader. The bypolls will also be very crucial for the TD and its leader, N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is eyeing the bypolls to revive the party in the Seemandhra region.