Kurnool: As Nandyal enters polling on Wednesday, Tourism Minister Bhuma Akhila Priya has spun a googly. She wondered aloud to TD supporters and the media whether the TD opponent was YSRC president, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy or Shilpa Mohan Reddy. Her barb was not without any substance. Ever since the campaigning for the bypoll started, Shilpa Mohan Reddy was more or less missing in action. While Jagan Mohan Reddy was all over Nandyal with his intensive and aggressive networking amongst the minority class, the query that topped everybody’s minds was where was the real opponent who would be fighting the elections?

Shilpa Mohan Reddy was nowhere visible in the Nandyal constituency during the campaigning as he was down with malaria. He gave no interviews to the media. The only big media appearance he made was on Monday along with his family members to rebut the charges levelled against him by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

As the voters go to polling booths on Wednesday, they have very few takeaways from Shilpa Mohan Reddy. It was Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s campaign all the way. Only ceremonial waving to the crowds at the road shows was done by Shilpa. On the other hand, TD candidate Bhuma Bramhanand Reddy, had really canvassed hard for the by-poll despite the fact that he was greatly supported byhis party with the TD big guns taking turns to come to Nandyal and campaign zealously.

Bhuma Reddy first started with a cycle rally which was followed by a motorcycle rally. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Bramhanand Reddy said that he was comfortably poised to win the election. “We have given all that a Nandyal voter wants,” he added and said that there was no need for the voter to choose any candidate other than him to represent their grievances in the Assembly.

If Bramhanand Reddy notches a victory, he would be drafted for important assignments in the Naidu government, feel his supporters at Allagadda. Tourism Minister Akhila Priya is also said to be slated for bigger role within Naidu administration as a reward to the victory that might be theirs soon.

Akhila Priya has been in the limelight ever since she was made a minister. Now with the Nandyal by-election her status has shot up further.