Srinivas Yadav makes a comeback

Back in business: TDP candidate T.Srinivas Yadav who won from Secunderabad celebrating his victory with supporters on Sunday. -

HYDERABAD: It was a grand comeback for former Minister and Telugu Desam Party’s candidate for the Secunderabad Assembly constituency bypoll, T. Srinivas Yadav. What was expected to be a close fight between the Congress, TDP and the TRS, Mr. Yadav came out triumphant with a comfortable margin of 18,067 votes.

Surprisingly, his nearest rival was not incumbent T. Padma Rao of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) but Congress Party’s Pitla Krishna. While Mr. Yadav bagged 50,031 votes, Mr. Krishna got 31,964 votes. The TRS candidate came third with 28, 256 votes.

Mr. Yadav, who went to Tirupati on Saturday, came down on Sunday afternoon to accept the election certificate from Returning Officer D.C. Bheema Naik. Talking to newsmen, he made it clear that the people have given a clear verdict against the Telangana sentiment.

The TDP’s commendable performance in the bypolls portend bad news for Congress and TRS for the upcoming general elections, he said and predicted his party to come to power next year. “You can’t take people for a ride all the time just based on promises of Telangana. The TDP city unit has taken off and is all set to regain the twin cities in the general elections,” he said, as his followers cheered lustily.

The TRS candidate, T. Padma Rao, charged TDP and Congress with using “money power” to win votes. “Money flowed like water and it tilted the balance. However, I humbly accept the verdict of the general public and will continue to work as an ordinary party worker for the cause of a separate statehood,” he said.

Mr. Yadav, who served as Minister twice in the erstwhile TDP Government was defeated by 3,067 votes at the hands of Mr. Rao when TRS had an alliance with Congress.

Early in the morning, there was not much excitement at the counting centre of Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet with the TDP candidate forging ahead right from the first round of counting itself gaining 1,290 votes. From then onwards his lead went on increasing and by the end of the 13th round, the writing was on the wall and his counting agents raised slogans hailing his victory and their party.

The 15th round counting took little more than four hours.