Conduct Bypolls Immediately: YSRCP To Election Commission

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in its fight for the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh, plans to intensify its demand, following the Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) failed attempt to topple the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government with its No Confidence Motion on Friday. On April 6, five YSRCP MPs submitted their resignations to the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, in their pursuit of achieving the SCS by putting pressure on the NDA government.

"Although our Parliamentarians gave up their posts back in April, the Speaker took time to accept them. We now want to take the issue to the public, so we will request the Election Commission to conduct bye-elections for the five Lok Sabha seats, as soon as possible," YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Vijaya Sai Reddy told a leading English daily in an interview.

It is learnt that YSRCP leaders have sought an appointment with Election Commission on Monday. Elections to the next Lok Sabha are due in 2019, after the completion of the five-year term by the current House. Since there are more than six months for the general elctions, we will pitch for our rightful demand to contest the bypolls.

After the Congress-led UPA government cheated the state by bifurcating the state in an undemocratic manner, the BJP government is now betraying the people of the new state by ignoring the bifurcation promises, the MP felt.

Last year, the YSRCP filed a petition with the Speaker demanding the disqualification of four of its MPs (three members joined the TDP and one joined the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) after winning on the YSRCP ticket.

With the support of BJP and Jana Sena Founder Pawan Kalyan, the TDP managed to get only 5.5 lakh votes more than the YSRCP. We have the public support. The TDP, apart from completely failing to deliver on the 2014 election promises, is now resorting to blaming the Centre for its failres, Vijaya Sai Reddy added.

Taking its fight for the SCS forward, the YSRCP announced that it will vote against BJP's candidate in the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman's election.

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