YSR Congress won the Nellore Zilla Parishad Chairman and Vice-Chairperson posts through a draw of lots here on Sunday.
The officials went for the draw after the YSRC and the TDP secured the support of 23 ZPTC members each. Till this moment, there was suspense following rumours of one or two YSRC ZPTCs likely to avoid raising their hands for ensuring defeat of their party candidate.
The efforts put in by the TDP leadership, particularly Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana, did not pay off in the final outcome.
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In the elections, the YSRC won 31 ZPTCs and the TDP got 15 out of the total 46 ZPTCs in the district. The TDP managed to gain support of eight ZPTCs belonging to YSRC, which made the party strength in the zilla parishad equal.
The ZP Chairman election was earlier twice postponed with the TDP obstructing the proceedings in the first instance and there was no quorum in the second instance. YSRC candidate Bommireddy Raghavendra Reddy was elected ZP Chairman in the draw.
YSRC MLAs Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy and Kakani Govardhan Reddy said their party ultimately won the election despite various tactics used by the ruling TDP. The TDP tried to use all sorts of inducements to defeat the YSRC but that party did not have the favour of the god, they said.
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TDP MLA Kurugonda Ramakrishna said two to three ZPTCs had promised to support the TDP candidate but they did not live up to it which led to the defeat. “They might have gone back on their promise out of fear. Luck favoured the rivals,” he said.
The election to the ZP Vice-Chairperson and the two co-option members was also held through the draw of lots. YSRC candidate Sireeshawon the Vice-Chairperson post. YSRC candidate Akbar Bhasha and TDP candidate Chand Bhasha are co-option members.