Tirupati bypolls: TDP wins with over one lakh vote margin

The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Suguna’s husband and TDP MLA M Venkataramana last December. The election had become a virtual a one-sided affair as main opposition YSR Congress decided not to field its candidate as per a “practice” of letting the family members get elected unopposed in the event of death of a sitting MLA.

Congress, still smarting under the complete rout in last year’s elections, entered the fray in the bypoll. Its misery increased further as party nominee R Sridevi lost the security deposit.

Attributing the victory to her late husband’s popularity among people, the development efforts of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and help from the Centre, Suguna said she would work for the temple town’s development and providing housing for the poor.