A 35-year-old YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader was allegedly murdered by unidentified assailants in Andhra Pradesh's Palnadu district on Thursday night, triggering a police investigation into what appears to have been a premeditated attack.

The deceased has been identified as Navuluri Chenna Reddy. According to preliminary information, he was intercepted near Pullola Bavi on the Rentachintala-Rentala road, where the attackers allegedly overpowered him before launching a brutal assault.

Investigators suspect the assailants first threw chilli powder into Chenna Reddy's eyes to immobilise him.

He was then repeatedly stabbed with a sharp weapon, inflicting fatal injuries. After the killing, the accused allegedly abandoned his body near agricultural fields and escaped before anyone could intervene.

Following information from residents, personnel from the Rentachintala police station reached the spot and secured the crime scene.

The body was later shifted to a government hospital, where a post-mortem examination will help determine the exact cause of death and reconstruct the sequence of events.

Police have registered a murder case and begun collecting forensic evidence from the scene. Officers are also examining possible personal, political and local angles behind the crime while working to identify those responsible.

No arrests have been made so far, and officials said the motive behind the killing remains under investigation. More details are expected as the probe progresses.