YSRCP candidate Pelakuru ZPTC wins despite being a jail prisoner

YSRCP candidate Comreddy Satyanarayana Reddy has won the Pelakuru ZPTC seat in Tirupati district with a majority of 1,708 votes. The notable aspect of this victory is that Reddy was incarcerated in Nellore Central Prison throughout the entire election process. According to a report by The Hindu, Reddy was in jail on judicial remand in a murder case; however, he was not prevented from filing his nomination as the YSRCP candidate from his native Pelakuru Mandal.

The responsibility for Reddy's election campaigning was handled by his wife, K. Prabhavathamma. She toured various villages in the Mandal and appealed to voters to cast their votes in support of her husband. Prabhavathamma told voters that this support was necessary to prove her husband's innocence. She further alleged that her husband had been falsely implicated in the murder case due to political enmity.

When Reddy was declared the winner by the returning officer, YSRCP workers celebrated the victory by distributing sweets and bursting crackers. Reacting to the win, Tirupati MP M. Gurumoorthy stated that the voters have given a 'fitting reply' to the policy of political vendetta of the NDA government.

A new twist emerged in the incident when a letter written by Reddy from jail went viral on social media. In this letter, he had requested support from the voters and also provided a list of election promises. A digital copy of this handwritten letter spread widely across the Mandal before the polling.

Regarding this matter, K. Janardhan Reddy, a resident of Sullurpeta, has filed a complaint with the State Election Commissioner (SEC) and the District Election Officer (Collector). He questioned how a candidate could use a petition paper provided by the jail as campaign material, as the letter bore the signature, date (17 October, 2026), and seal of the issuing officer. Janardhan Reddy has sought clarification on whether such an appeal is permitted under the Model Code of Conduct and jail rules.