But as voters gear up for crucial assembly and parliamentary polls on May 13, all eyes are on the high-stakes battle in Pulivendula, an assembly constituency that has been a Reddy family stronghold for over four decades.
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's wife Vijayalakshmi filed her nomination, on Tuesday, for the bypoll to Pulivendula assembly seat previously held by her late husband. Vijayalakshmi filed the nomination as Congress candidate.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is contesting from Pulivendula constituency is the son of former CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
Both Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan assured voters that they would bring jobs and industrial development to the state. Their alliance batted for a welfare-plus-development model.
Vivekananda, the brother of late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of Jagan Reddy, was found dead at his residence in Pulivendula, on the night of March 15, 2019, weeks before the state assembly elections.
'We would like to develop Andhra Pradesh into a logistics hub not only for India, but also for South Asia.'
Vijayalakshmi, widow of the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was on declared elected unopposed from Pulivendula Assembly seat in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. Election observer Manish Moudgil said Vijayalakshmi was elected unanimously from Pulivendula assembly constituency.
The Telugu Desam Party-Bharatiya Janata Party combine on Friday appeared set for an impressive performance in Seemandhra by leading in about 90 Assembly seats, followed by YSR Congress in around 70, out of the total 175 seats in the region.
In a big setback to the chief ministerial ambitions of YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the Congress high command has decided to ignore his claim over a ticket for the by-elections to the Pulivendula Assembly constituency which fell vacant due after his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's death. Instead, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has decided to field YSR's widow and Jagan's mother Vijayalakshmi as Congress candidate in Pulivendula, where by election will be held on December 19.
Praja Rajyam party leader and actor Chiranjeevi has taken his fight directly in to the camp of his 'enemy's fort'. He started his "Praja Ankitam Yatra" in Kadapa district from Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's home constituency Pulivendula today amid tight security.
Praja Ankitam Yatra of filmstar-turned-politician Chiranjeevi evoked a huge response from the people in Pulivendula, the home turf of the Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as the people, mostly youth and women, flooded the streets and the roads in thousands to see and hear the actor.
After post-mortem in the local government hospital, police confirmed the case was altered to Section 302 Indian Penal Code that relates to murder.
Y S Vijaya Lakshmi, widow of late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was on Thursday unanimously elected as the leader of YSR Congress Legislature Party.
TDP's Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy battle it out for power from Kuppam and Pulivendula respectively. Vicky Nanjappa compares the two areas to see how both of them fare.
Making a headstart, YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother Y S Vijayalakshmi on Wednesday separately launched their campaigns for the May 8 by-elections for Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh.
Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu's convoy was on Saturday allegedly stoned by supporters of YSR Congress party when he was addressing a road show as part of the by-election campaign at Lingala in Kadapa district.
Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who has revolted against the Congress leadership, intends to seek re-election from Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and says he is not keen on destabilising the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh.
Counting of votes for the high-profile by-elections to the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula constituencies in Andhra Pradesh commenced in Kadapa on Friday morning amidst tight security.
All eyes in Andhra Pradesh are on the by-elections to the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula assembly constituencies, from where Jagan Mohan Reddy and his mother Vijayalaxmi will be contesting.
The former Congress MP also told his supporters in his hometown Pulivendula near Kadapa that the 2014 assembly elections in the state would be his "finals".
'There is no doubt he is with the Lord in heaven. He loved people and people poured their love on him. It was the people's love that got him elected as chief minister for a second term.'
In a coincidence of sorts, Cyberababd police chief V C Sajjanar is at the helm when four accused in the rape and murder of a woman vet were killed on Friday in an alleged encounter, much like he was in Warangal when three men charged with throwing acid on two girls were shot dead by the police.
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was laid to rest at his estate in Idupulapaya near his home town of Pulivendula at 1730 hrs on Friday in front of a crowd that Andhra may have not witnessed till date.
Thousands of mourners on Friday swarmed Hyderabad to bid a tearful adieu to late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, on his final journey to his native Kadapa district.
While the news of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was heard with shock and disbelief all over the state, it fell like a lightening on his home district of Kadapa, specially his home town Pulivendula.
Jaganmohan Reddy will be sworn in as chief minister on May 30.
The Telugu Desam Party-Bharatiya Janata Party combine stormed to power in the residual state of Andhra Pradesh, commonly known as Seemandhra, as the Congress was virtually wiped out in the assembly polls, which were simultaneously held with the Lok Sabha elections.
Reddy alone will take oath on Thursday while his Council of Ministers is likely to be constituted on June 7, party sources said.
It has been virtually a ten-year wait that's coming to a happy end for the 47-year-old leader, who nurtured the ambition of becoming chief minister soon after his father's death in September 2009.
Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha will be held simultaneously in the first phase.
YSR Congress honorary president Y S Vijayamma called off her indefinite fast opposing proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday after she was forcibly shifted to a hospital in Guntur in the wee hours.
Terming as "very cruel" the way bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh was done, YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday said that he has kept open all options on post-poll alliance.
YSR Congress Party honorary president Y S Vijayalakshmi began her indefinite fast against the proposed division of Andhra Pradesh and accused TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu of having a tacit understanding with Congress on the separate statehood issue.
In a big shot in the arm for the YSR Congress party in Andhra Pradesh, a Central Bureau of Investigation court in Hyderabad on Monday granted conditional bail to its president and Member of Lok Sabha YS Jaganmohan Reddy in disproportionate assets case.
YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy has resigned as Kadapa MP in protest against "unilateral and arrogant posturing" of Congress party on the proposed division of Andhra Pradesh but stopped short of spelling out his party's stand on the statehood issue.