Kadapa, April 17: Health minister DL Ravindra Reddy filed his nomination for the by-election for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat with much fanfare in Kadapa today, while YS Vivekananda Reddy (Congress), YS Vijayalakshmi (YSR Congress) and B.Tech Ravi (TDP) filed their respective nominations for the byelection for the Pulivendula Assembly seat in Pulivendula today.
In Pulivendula, YSR Congress candidate YS Vijayalakshmi, the widow of former chief minister YS Rajaksehara Reddy, filed her nomination in the tahasildar’s office. She was accompanied by her son YS Jaganmohan Reddy, brothersinlaw YS Prakash Reddy and YS Bhaskar Reddy, and advocate Raghunath Reddy. She went in a procession from her residence to the tahasildar’s office and was showered with flowers and petals all along the way. About 30,000 people from Pulivendula and nearby mandals turned up to see her file nomination papers.
On the other hand, Congress nominee YS Vivekananda Reddy, accompanied by zilla parishad chairman D Jyothi Reddy, YS Pratap Reddy, Kandula Rajamohan Reddy and his PA Ravishankar Sharma filed his nominations. TDP candidate M Ravindranath Reddy alias B.Tech Ravi also filed his nomination today. Both Viveka and Ravi filed their respective nominations without much ado.
DL Ravindra Reddy, who is contesting on Congress ticket for the Kadapa parliamentary seat vacated by YS Jaganmohan Reddy a few months ago, filed his nomination papers at the district collectroate here today.
The minister, accompanied by his followers and other Congress leaders, visited the Lakshmi Venkateswara temple at Devuni Kadapa and the Vijaya Durga temple before filing his nomination. Acompanied by minister Ahamedulla, MLA PM Kamalamma, MLC C Ramachandraiah and Congress leader K Sivananda Reddy, he handed over his papers to collector and returning officer Sasibushan Kumar at 12:15 pm.
Talking with reporters later, he described the election as a contest
between honesty and corruption, and between loyalty and betrayal.
Ravindra Reddy said that Jagan’s assets were shown as Rs 25 crore in 2004, Rs 85 crore in 2009 and Rs 365 crore now _ an increase by six times in six years. That was not all and Jagan had more wealth which he acquired by misusing government schemes, he said.
Asked why he did not resign from the ministry as done by Vivekananda Reddy, the minister said that there was no need to do it. Since Independence no one except Jeevan Reddy had resigned from ministry to contest elections, he claimed.
–PTI