Local body polls: YSRCP knocks TDP again in Chandrababu Naidu's stronghold Kuppam

The ruling YSRCP has managed to upset former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu in his Assembly constituency again, this time by taking hold of Kuppam municipality.

The elections were held on Monday, along with a few more municipalities and Nagar Panchayats in various parts of Andhra Pradesh. The counting of votes took place on Wednesday.

Continuing its winning streak in the local polls, YSRCP has won in most of these bodies including the Nellore municipal corporation.

Out of the 25 wards in Kuppam, the YSRCP took 19 while the TDP managed to win in only six.

Also Read | YSRCP deployed bogus voters in Kuppam to subvert public mandate: TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu

Kuppam, which sits at the junction of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, in Chittoor district has been a stronghold of the TDP, with Naidu representing it in the assembly since 1989.

Analysts say that Reddy had focused attention on Kuppam to weaken Naidu's hold in his own bastion.

In September this year, the YSRCP raided the TDP citadel by winning all the four Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies seats there and almost all the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies.

Both Naidu and his son and former minister Nara Lokesh had visited Kuppam before the municipal polls this month, to rejuvenate the cadres.

After the declaration of the result, Chief Minister Reddy congratulated Panchayati Raj and rural development minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and other YSRCP leaders from Chittoor “for the decisive victory in the Kuppam civic body election.”

“Kuppam people have supported CM Reddy’s governance which took welfare to the doorstep of beneficiaries. YSRCP has won in all the Panchayat, Parishad, and municipal polls in Kuppam, registering landslide victories in Naidu’s constituency,” Peddireddy said.

The minister said that Naidu should remain in Hyderabad “after the series of defeats in his area.”

The TDP termed the YSRCP winning as unethical as “the ruling party has committed all sorts of election offences in the Kuppam municipal poll, including use of bogus voters brought in from Punganur.”

Punganur is the assembly constituency of Peddireddy.

“Kuppam voters were shocked by the manner Jagan's regime misused the police and the election machinery. Truly speaking, the YSRCP's civic poll victory should be dedicated to the DGP for favouring the ruling party,” TDP state president K Atchannaidu told reporters.

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