The electoral battle in Seemandhra was so close that a mere difference of 1.68 per cent votes enabled the TDP-BJP alliance to overtake the YSR Congress Party in the Assembly elections.
While the TDP-BJP combine got 46.69 per cent of votes, the YSRCP got 45.01 per cent of votes. If comparison is confined only to the TDP and the YSRCP, the difference was only 6,01,539 votes in the Assembly elections.
The TDP won 102 and the BJP bagged five seats to emerge with a clear majority in 175-member State Assembly, while YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s party had to content with 67 seats.
In terms of geographic spread, the YSRCP did well in five districts of Kurnool, Kadapah, Nellore, Prakasham and Krishna, while the TDP-BJP alliance demonstrated its hold over the remaining nine districts including North Coastal Andhra, where it had lost ground in the earlier two elections.
In lok Sabha elections, the difference between the two sides was slightly higher at 2.34 per cent. While TDP BJP combine got 47.95 per cent votes, the YSRCP came close second with 45.61 per cent. But this was enough to almost double the seats of the TDP-BJP, which bagged 17 lok Sabha seats against eight of the YSRCP.
As far as erstwhile ruling Congress was concerned, not only it drew a blank in Seemandhra, but its candidates forfeited their deposits in 150 Assembly constituencies. They secured less than 5,000 votes.
Congress lok Sabha candidates in the region also polled less than 25,000 votes in each of the 25 constituencies. Jai Samakhiya Andhra Party of N Kiran Kumar Reddy was equally pathetic as it too drew a blank in both the State Assembly and lok Sabha.
