Clashes broke out between two leaders’ supporters during a political walkabout in Nandyal on May 16. A former Andhra Pradesh minister, Bhuma Akhila Priya Reddy, was arrested on May 17 for her alleged role in an attack on her fellow party member, AV Subba Reddy. The latter was injured during the fight. Akhila was remanded in custody for 14 days after being produced before a court.
The incident occurred in the presence of TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh during his Yuva Galam padayatra. The police tried to control the situation, but videos emerged on social media depicting clashes. Akhila was charged with causing injury, attempted murder, and criminal conspiracy. She has also lodged a counter-complaint against Subba Reddy and his followers, and the police have registered a case against him.
Akhila’s father Bhuma Nagi Reddy was a three-time MP from the Nandyal Lok Sabha constituency, while her mother Shobha Nagi Reddy represented the Allagadda constituency in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. Akhila was elected as the MLA from Allagadda in a bye-poll in 2014 following her mother’s death.
AV Subba Reddy was a close associate of Akhila’s father Bhuma Nagi Reddy, who died of a heart attack in 2017. According to reports, the relationship between the two families soured after Nagi Reddy’s demise.
Following the incident, Subba Reddy’s daughter Jashwanthi Reddy condemned the attack on her father in a video message. She called for Akhila to be denied a ticket in the 2024 Andhra Assembly elections, saying, “The party should be aware of this and deny her a ticket. We will make every effort to defeat her if she succeeds in getting a ticket at all.”
The TDP has formed a committee to investigate the incident, and disciplinary action will be taken based on their report.
