Vijayamma to contest for Lok Sabha, Jagan for Assembly

Hyderabad: YSR Congress party's president YS Jaganmohan Reddy will contest the assembly election from Pulivendula while his mother and honorary president YS Vijayamma will fight for the Lok Sabha from Visakhapatnam.

Jaganmohan Reddy's uncle and cousin also figure in the list of candidates announced by the party for parliamentary elections in Seemandhra or residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

Vijayamma, YS Avinash Reddy and YV Subba Reddy were among 24 candidates announced by the party for May 7 elections. The party also declared names of 170 candidates for assembly elections.

Jaganmohan Reddy, who eyes the post of chief minister in the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, will contest assembly election from Pulivendula in his home district Kadapa.

Vijayamma was elected unopposed to Andhra Pradesh assembly as Congress candidate from Pulivendula in Kadapa district in the by-elections in December 2009 following the death of her husband and then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash.

Vijayamma was elected by over 85,000 votes from Pulivendula in the 2011 by-polls caused by her resignation following the formation of YSR Congress party by her son.Jaganmohan Reddy's cousin YS Avinash Reddy will contest for Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, currently held by the party chief. Avinash Reddy is son of YS Bhaskar Reddy, son of YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Jagan, as the young leader is popularly known, had retained Kadapa seat by a record margin of over five lakh votes in 2011 by-polls.

Jagan has named his uncle YV Subba Reddy as the party candidate from Ongole parliamentary constituency.

The YSR Congress has not announced candidates for one Lok Sabha and five assembly seats and the same may be allotted to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in case of an electoral understanding.

The YSR Congress has retained sitting MP from Nellore, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy. Nandyal MP SPY Reddy, who quit Congress and joined YSR Congress in February this year, will seek re-election.