Amaravati: Amid tight security in Andhra Pradesh's Badvel assembly seat, polling for the bypolls on Saturday, Kadapa's superintendent of police said that over 2,000 police personnel, including the central armed forces, have been deployed. A total of 2,16,139 voters, including 1,07,340 women and two transgenders, are eligible to cast their votes. A total of 16 candidates are in the fray in the bypolls due to the death of sitting MLA G Venkatasubbaiah of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). According to polling officials, voters at 281 polling stations started voting through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 7 am.

The constituency, reserved for Scheduled Castes, is located in Kadapa, the home district of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. It is one of the assembly constituencies of Cuddapah Lok Sabha seat which is being held by the YSR family for more than three decades. The YSRCP has fielded his wife Dasari Sudha, who is in a triangular contest against M. Kamalamma of the Congress party and P. Suresh of the BJP. The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had announced not to contest the bypolls. Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena is supporting its ally BJP. In this constituency, the BJP under the leadership of its state chief Somu Veera Raju campaigned intensively.

BJP's Andhra Pradesh in-charge National Secretary Sunil Deodhar and some Union Ministers addressed election rallies and held road shows. The Chief Minister wrote a letter to the people of Badwell seeking their support for his party's candidate. A group of state ministers led by Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy participated in the campaign, highlighting the welfare schemes of the YSRCP government. The ruling party seems to be getting an edge due to the strong support as well as the sympathy factor in the region.

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