Nellore: Atmakur goes to the bypoll on June 23. The by-election was necessitated after the sudden demise of sitting member and minister in the YS Jagan’s previous cabinet Mekapati Goutham Reddy on February 21 this year. As a YSR Congress legislator, Mekapati Goutham had touched every heart in his constituency. Goutham’s younger brother Mekapati Vikram Reddy is contesting the by-election on YSR Congress party’s ticket.

A total of 16 elections were held in Atmakur constituency and Mekapati Goutham Reddy was the only candidate who won the election with a record majority of 91,686 votes while Anam Sanjiva Reddy holds the record of winning the Atmakur seat with a thin majority. In the subsequent elections, Mekapati Goutham retained the seat with a majority of 22,276 votes. Political analysts believe that Mekapati Goutham’s magic will work in the by-elections as well.

Even though Mekapati Goutham made a late entry into politics, it didn’t take him long to gain immense popularity and emerge as a people’s favourite leader. In the election history of Atmakur constituency, Mekapati Goutham Reddy was the only candidate who won the polls with the highest majority for two consecutive terms. Between 1952 and 2019, a total of 16 times assembly elections were held in the Atmakur constituency. This will be the second time that a by-election will be held in the Atmakur constituency. In 1958, by-elections were held for the first time in Atmakur.

As a Congress candidate, Bezwada Gopal Reddy was the first person who won the Atmakur seat after its formation in 1952. He went on to become the chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh. After becoming a Union Minister, Bezwada quit his MLA post in 1958 and thus it necessitated the first bypoll.

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Since its beginning, Atmakur constituency has been the stronghold of the Congress party. Before the formation of the Telugu Desam Party, elections were held seven times in Atmakur constituency. Congress candidates have won the seat 5 times while the independent candidates have won twice. From 1983 to 2019, out of nine elections, TDP candidates won only in 1983 and 1994. Congress won the seat four times, an independent candidate once and two times YSRCP candidate won the seat.