YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday called upon the party’s local body representatives from Araku and Paderu segments to ensure party candidate Botsa Satyanarayana’s victory in the by-election to Legislative Council from United Visakhapatnam District Local Bodies constituency.

The former chief minister held a meeting with public representatives from the two segments at his camp office here and appealed to them for their continued support and cooperation, emphasising that this election should serve as a lesson for Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said YSRCP secured a clear majority in the local body elections of the united Visakhapatnam district and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) does not have sufficient numerical strength. He remarked that if the TDP leaders adhered to moral values, they wouldn’t contest these elections. He emphasised the importance of values and integrity in politics, stating that even though it is a more challenging path, it is the one that endures.

The former chief minister recalled the 2014 elections when he resisted pressure to make unrealistic promises. He said Chandrababu Naidu made false promises which led to public disillusionment and YSRCP’s victory in 2019. He claimed that YSRCP implemented all promises made in 2019. He said for YSRCP, the manifesto is like sacred scriptures.

He alleged that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu attempted to influence elections through unethical means, including monetary inducements, which degrade the standards of politics, and urged the local representatives and party members to adhere to values and integrity, as these are the principles that will lead to lasting political success.

He called for collective support to ensure the victory of Botsa Satyanarayana, highlighting the unanimous backing from candidates who contested and won. He also condemned the TDP’s attempts to buy local body representatives and stressed that such practices should not be entertained. He reiterated his enduring commitment to the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam, expressing gratitude for their unwavering support since the party’s inception.

The YSRCP last week announced Botsa Satyanarayana as the candidate for the by-election to the MLC seat, which is scheduled to be held on August 30 to fill the vacancy arising out of the disqualification of Chennuboina Srinivasa Rao.

Srinivasa Rao, whose real name is Vamsi Krishna Yadav, was disqualified as MLC by the Council Chairman in March under the anti-defection law after he quit YSRCP to join Jana Sena Party.

Srinivasa Rao was elected to the Assembly on Jana Sena ticket from Visakhapatnam South constituency in May 13 elections.

One of the seniormost leaders of YSRCP, Botsa Satyanarayana served as the minister for municipal administration and urban development and human resources development in the previous YSRCP government headed by Jagan Mohan Reddy.

In the recent Assembly elections, Satyanarayana suffered defeat from Cheepurupalli constituency in Vizianagaram district at the hands of Telugu Desam Party’s K. Kalavenkata Rao.