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TDP retains Sirpur in Andhra Pradesh

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

Palvai Rajya Lakshmi of the ruling Telugu Desam Party was today declared elected from the Sirpur assembly constituency in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. She trounced her nearest Congress rival Koneru Konappa by a margin of 29,967 votes in a bypoll necessitated by the death of Lakshmi's husband and TDP legislator from Sirpur, Plavai Purushottam Rao, on September 15.

Rao was gunned down along with his three security guards by a group of Naxalites belonging to the outlawed People's War Group.

The election was held on December 20 and the counting of votes was taken up yesterday. The TDP candidate maintained a comfortable lead over her rivals right from the first round of counting.

Rajya Lakshmi polled 57,318 votes while Konappa secured 27,351. The other five candidates in the fray lost their security deposit.

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