Union Minister of Health and in charge of Party Affairs in Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad said the by-election for 18 assembly and one Lok Sabha seats on June 12 was being held due to the 'selfishness' of one individual.

However, he did not name YSR Congress Party President Y S JaganMohan Reddy.

Addressing an election meeting at Municipal Grounds for Tirupati Assembly constituency, the vacancy caused due to the actor-turned political K Chiranjeevi becoming Rajya Sabha Member from Congress, Mr Azad said the by-election in Andhra Pradesh was not at all necessary.

He questioned Jagan on how he accumulated assets worth crores of rupees and informed the gathering that he had constructed palatial residences at Hyderabad and in Bangalore after earning money illegally.

On Jagan being jailed in the disproportionate assets case, Mr Azad cited examples of former Union Telecom Minister A Raja who was jailed in the 2G spectrum scam, former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddurappa who resigned after facing allegations of corruption and former Union Minister Suresh Kalmadi who was jailed in the Common Wealth Games scam.

The Union Minister said the Congress Party was not responsible for Jagan being in Jail and added the CBI was investigating the illegal assets case on the directions of Andhra Pradesh High Court.

He reminded that the Congress Party had made Jagan's father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy Chief Minister twice.

"I had strove to develop the temple town of Tirupati being a Union Minister," Mr Azad said, adding that the Centre had allocated Rs 60 crore for the development of SVIMS here.

He appealed to the electorate to elect the Congress Party candidates by voting in their favour in the hustings.