Hyderabad sources stated that B. Prakash, J. Santosh Kumar and AB. Lingaiah Yadav were elected to the Upper House. Congress candidate and former union minister P. Balram Naik was defeated, officials said. Accordingly a total of 108 members of the Assembly voted. Prakash secured 33 votes while Santosh Kumar and Yadav polled 32 votes each. Meanwhile the Congress candidate got only 10 votes as independent member D. Prakash Reddy's vote was declared invalid by the Election Commission.
According to sources the poll panel took the decision after the complaint by the Returning Officer that Prakash Reddy showed his vote to the Congress agent before casting it. Further the election became inevitable after the Congress fielded a candidate though the TRS had comfortable strength in the 119-member Assembly to win all three seats.
Moreover the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (five
members), Telugu Desam Party (TDP) (two) and Communist Party of India-Marxist
(CPI-M) (one) abstained from voting. Further two Congress members
Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, S.A. Sampath Kumar could not vote as they were
expelled from the House last week for allegedly hurling headphones during the
Governor's address, injuring Legislative Council Chairman Swamy Goud in his
eye.
