Hyderabad:
The frequent by-elections in Andhra Pradesh, five times since the 2009 assembly and Lok Sabha polls, are putting substantial burden on the public exchequer.
According to official sources, the cumulative cost of all the five by-polls is about Rs 70 crore.
To begin with, the by-polls were held for the first time in 2010 for 12 assembly constituencies and the expenditure was Rs 9.79 crore.
In 2011, the by-polls were held for two assembly seats costing the exchequer Rs 1.6 4crore.
The election for Kadapa Lok Sabha, contested and won by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, was also held in 2011 and cost a whopping Rs 8.35 crore.
In 2012, the by-polls were conducted for seven assembly segments in March and it cost the exchequer Rs 10.35 crore.
The by-elections had to be conducted again for one Lok Sabha and 18 assembly segments this month.
The cost of these polls comes roughly to about Rs 40 crore.
The by-elections in 2010 for 12 assembly seats came as the sitting MLAs resigned in support of the separate Telangana demand, while by-election for Pulivendula assembly and Kadapa Lok Sabha seats in May, 2011 were necessitated following Jagan and his mother's resignation from their seats after they parted ways with Congress.
By-election was held for Banswada assembly constituency in October 2011 as TDP MLA Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy quit the party and his assembly membership and successfully contested on TRS ticket.