Post date: Apr 19, 2011 5:33:46 AM
In an obvious attempt to hit YSR Congress Party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy below the belt, the Congress has fielded six namesakes as dummy candidates for the byelection to the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat.
As many as six candidates with the name "Jaganmohan Reddy" filed their nominations as independents on Saturday, a day after the former Kadapa MP filed his papers.
The candidates - Gopireddy Jaganmohan Reddy, Boothuru Jaganmohan Reddy, P Jaganmohan Reddy, Kotapadu Jaganmohan Reddy, Konda Jaganmohan Reddy and Avula Jaganmohan Reddy - are all said to be close followers of the state health minister and the Congress's choice for Kadapa, DL Ravindra Reddy.
As many as three women candidates who are namesakes of Jagan's mother Y Vijayalakshmi also filed their nominations as independents on Saturday for the Pulivendula assembly by-election.
Vijayalakshmi is contesting on behalf of the YSR Congress Party from the constituency.
A few more "Jaganmohan Reddys" and "Vijayalakshmis" were expected to file the nominations.
As the Election Commission is yet to accord the YSR Congress recognition as a political party, Jaganmohan Reddy as well as Vijayalakshmi are being treated as independent candidates. Both will contest the polls on different election symbols.
Taking advantage of this, the Congress appears to have fielded their namesakes as independents in both Kadapa and Pulivendula with a view to confuse voters. "Since all the candidates with same name are listed together in the electronic voting machines, it would cause a lot of confusion for those who want to vote for Jaganmohan Reddy. It is clearly a Congress conspiracy to defeat him by hook or by crook, or at least reduce the margin of his victory," pro-Jagan MLA Adinarayana Reddy alleged.
According to the Jagan camp, the YSR Congress president has deputed as many as 100 strong campaigners to each block exclusively to popularise the election symbol to be allotted to the party. They would make door-to-door visits and educate voters about the symbol, so that they do not get confused on the day of polling.
Both Jagan and Vijayalakshmi have applied for ""cot" or "candle" as their election symbol, which they would be allotted after the last date for withdrawal of nominations on April 20.
Meanwhile, Jagan's declaration that he held assets worth Rs 365 crore, besides the Rs 41.33 crore in the name of his wife Bharati, has given the Congress fresh ammunition.
All in a name
The Congress has fielded six namesakes as dummy candidates for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat by-polls
All of them are said to be close followers of Congress's choice for Kadapa, state health minister DL Ravindra Reddy.
Three women candidates, namesakes of Jagan's mother Y Vijayalakshmi, have also filed nominations as independents for the Pulivendula assembly by-poll.