Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll on April 17

Amaravati: The by-election to the Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency will be held on April 17. The by-election to the Tirupati Lok Sabha seat was necessitated due to the sudden demise of sitting YSR Congress party MP Balli Durgaprasada Rao due to Covid-19 in September last year. With this the political parties are now gearing up for intensifying their campaign.

This election assumes importance as the YSRCP got a landslide victory in the just concluded municipal corporation elections and as CID has given notices to Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu under SC' ST Act alleging that some of the influential persons of the then government have cheated them by taking away their lands illegally, fraudulently by keeping them under confusion and fear of insecurity.

CID served a notice to national president of TDP N Chandrababu Naidu to appear before the investigating officer in Vijayawada on March 23.

Meanwhile, the YSRCP has finalised the name of Dr M Guru Murthy as the candidate for the Tirupati Lok Sabha by-election.

TDP had announced the name of its candidate, Panabaka Lakshmi long back. This four-time MP and former Union Minister has contested unsuccessfully in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on TDP ticket.

The BJP, which has announced that it would contest the by-election, is yet to announce the party candidate.