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Ganti Vijayakumari, widow of former Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi, has been fielded as the Telugu Desam Party candidate for the Lok Sabha by-poll from Amalapuram constituency in Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress has decided not to field a candidate against her.
Vijayakumari filed three sets of nomination papers before the returning officer at Amalapuram town on Thursday.
In a brief statement after filing her nomination, Vijayakumari said that she decided to contest the by-elections, keeping in view the wishes of the local people and the services rendered by Balayogi for the constituency.
Among others, she will be contesting against two other relatives of Balayogi - his elder sister and a nephew.
Meanwhile, AICC spokesman S Jaipal Reddy announced in New Delhi that the Congress has decided not to field a candidate against Vijayakumari as a mark of respect to the former Speaker.
The decision followed a request from the TDP on May seven to party president Sonia Gandhi not to put up a candidate against Balayogi's widow.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had also expressed the BJP's support for Vijayakumari, saying that it would be a fitting tribute to the late Speaker.
RELATED REPORT Balayogi's sister to contest from Amalapuram as an independent
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