AP High Court dismisses petition to cancel the Tirupati by-election, all set for counting on May 2

All the decks cleared for the Tirupati by-election counting as the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down the petition seeking annulment of the election and decided not to intervene at this time. The BJP and TDP have alleged that the YSRCP had rigged votes in the Tirupati by-election. BJP candidate Ratna Prabha and TDP filed petitions seeking cancellation of the election and counting of votes for the by-election, which will take place on Sunday.

The seat fell vacant after Balli Durgaprasada Rao, who was elected as Tirupati MP in the 2019 general elections, died due to coronavirus on September 16 last year. To this end, a by-election was held there on the 17th of this month. Dr. Gurumurthy from YSRCP, Panabaka Lakshmi from TDP and Ratna Prabha from BJP contested. The Tirupati Lok Sabha by-election results will be released on Sunday.

On the other hand, the Tirupati by-election exit poll results have been released with YSRCP is estimated to amass 65.85 percent of the vote while The TDP 23.10 per cent votes, the BJP 7.34 per cent and the others 3.71 per cent. Exit polls suggest final results may vary by 2 to 3 percent. All surveys have concluded that YSRCP will regain its sitting position.