The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate, Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy, defeated YSR Congress Party's candidate Shilpa Mohan Reddy by a margin of 27,000 votes after 19 rounds of counting for Nandyal Assembly by-election in Andhra Pradesh. This victory of the TDP comes as a major jolt for the YSRCP.

The bypolls which witnessed a high decibel campaign with both ruling TDP and opposition YSRCP going all out against each other gave a clear mandate in favor of TDP's 33-year-old candidate Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy. Reddy defeated YSRCP's 54-year-old veteran leader Shilpa Mohan Reddy who has twice been the MLA of Nandyal, by a margin of over 27 thousand votes.

The by-election of Nadyal which falls under Kurnool district of Rayalseema region, was a prestige fight for TDP as the state is scheduled to go for election in 2019.

The bypoll arrived as its sitting MLA, Bhuma Nagi Reddy died from a cardiac arrest in March this year. Interestingly, late Reddy and his daughter Bhuma Akhila Priya won the election on YSR Congress party ticket, but later switched side and joined the ruling TDP.

Priya (26) was sworn in as youngest minister of Naidu cabinet this year in April, and further party awarded the influential family of the region by making Priya's brother Bhuma Brahmanand Reddy a candidate in the bypolls.

While YSRC chief himself lead the campaign for the party and stayed in the constituency for 13 days, the TDP pitched in Tollyowood star and its MLA Balarishana, and over half a dozen minister for Brahmananda Reddy.

Notably, Nandyal has a reputation of sending the political stalwarts like Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, PV Narasimha Rao to the Parliament.

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