Jagan Mohan Reddy's judicial remand in a disproportionate assets case has been extended till June 25, which means the YSR Congress chief will be in jail for two more weeks. The CBI, which continues to seek his custody, has also sought that Mr Reddy undergo a narco test.
This morning, Mr Reddy appeared before the Nampally special CBI court, which informed him that his judicial remand, which ended today, had been extended. Mr Reddy asked in court why he had not been brought from jail in a bullet-proof vehicle despite having Z category security and the court ordered that he be given a bullet-proof car. His wife and mother were in court; his sister Sharmila has reportedly left for Bangalore where she lives. Jagan has sought permission from the court to speak to his wife and mother.
Tomorrow, crucial by-elections will be held to 18 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh. A high-decibel campaign ended on Sunday evening; the by-polls are being described as the semi-finals ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections and Mr Reddy's party expects to make its mark.
The 39-year-old MP was plucked out of an intense election campaign and interrogated over three days before being arrested in a disproportionate assets case by the CBI on May 27. He has spent the last 15 days in jail and his mother Vijayalakshmi had to take over and led the party's campaign in his stead.
Ms Vijayalakshmi has followed up her first letter to the Prime Minister with another one requesting again that the CBI "act according to the law." The YSR Congress contends that Mr Reddy was strategically arrested to ensure that he could not continue his campaign. The party fancies its chances in the bye-elections and has accused both the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party of being afraid of the rise of a third force in Andhra Pradesh.
Mr Reddy's arrest became the dominant issue in the party's campaign. Mr Reddy's mother, who is also the party's honorary president, was helped by her daughter Sharmila.
Campaigning across the 12 districts where polls would be held, the mother-daughter duo raised questions about the death of Mr Reddy's father and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy in the 2009 chopper crash and alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched against Mr Reddy.
Polling in the state will be held tomorrow, June 12 and votes will be counted on June 15.
