Widespread betting on Nandyal bypoll outcome

Kurnool: As the fate of the MLA candidates in Nandyal by-election will only be decided on August 28 when the ballots are counted, there is a curiosity in knowing who is going to win the MLA seat amongst betting enthusiasts right now. The by-election to the Nandyal Assembly constituency provided punters with an immense opportunity. And the stakes are very high - sometimes crossing lakhs in some bets tendered by enthusiasts in Nandyal.

“I have never seen such a huge interest in betting on the winning chances of MLA candidates at the by poll,” said one of the betting man. According to the person who did not want to reveal his name, Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy, a candidate put up by the ruling TDP is leading the pack of probable winners.

The amount of money being bet on his winning ability has been steadily growing since few days, the punter said. Gamblers have invested huge amounts of money in the betting on the winning chances of the candidates. As much as Rs 3 lakh if the candidate wins with a majority of 5000 votes and Rs 20 lakh for above 10,000. A source said, nearly Rs 60 crore has gone into betting on the outcome of the Nandyal by-poll.

The two major parties have poured in a lot of money to woo the voters. The voters are offered not less than Rs 1500 each and if a family has four votes, they get at least Rs 12,000 from all the major contesting parties. Besides this amount, the voters are also assured of sewing machines, sarees and other gift items. Both the parties are offering as much as Rs 50 lakh in total to the roadside vendors in the Nandyal town for their business activities, it is said.

YSR Congress senior leader Rajasekar Reddy said betting in Nandyal has crossed all expectations surpassing even the cricket betting. And surprisingly, it is to note that the betting is being done by counsellors, sarpanches and MPTCs who themselves are voters in the elections.

The parameters for betting taken by wagers include number of people in the camps, available sources, possibility of cross-voting, and the inputs being given by the candidates themselves, he added. He also expressed Silpa Mohan Reddy’s victory is damn sure with a thumping majority. TDP Kurnool district president Somisetty Venkateshwarlu said he was not aware of such incidents in the district.

“But we are still going to win with bumper majority,” he said, while striking down the speculations over a TD defeat. “Our developments at Nandyal will give us a majority beyond expectations,” he added.

However, YSR Congress party leaders are claiming that their party candidate Silpa Mohan Reddy would win with a big margin. On the other hand, the TDP leaders have asserted that the outcome will be a shocker to Silpa Mohan Reddy who betrayed the party.