YSRCP complains to EC on ‘excesses’ of TDP on polling day

Vijayawada: The YSR Congress party members, including MLAs Kasu Mahesh Reddy, Malladi Vishnu, MLC Lella Appi Reddy and others met CEO Mukesh Kumar Meena at the Secretariat on Thursday and submitted a letter urging immediate action regarding incidents of violence on polling day and thereafter.

Following the May 13 polling, YSRCP lodged complaints regarding alleged booth capturing, rigging and voter intimidation by TDP. It said these incident call for urgent measures, including re-polling in 60 booths across 16 constituencies, accompanied by police protection. Despite these appeals, no action has been taken, the party said.

The party members requested an examination of live webcasting footage from the polling booths where they requested a re-poll. Their objective is to prompt re-polling based on evidence captured in the footage. Furthermore, they sought registration of cases and legal action against individuals involved in the illegal activities.

In a media statement, Gurazala MLA Kasu Mahesh Reddy said that if the Election Commission fails to adequately address the TDP’s election-related violence, they are prepared to escalate the matter to the High Court and the Supreme Court. He further accused TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu of orchestrating chaos on polling day, targetting SC, ST, BC and minority communities. Complaints regarding TDP violence have been consistently lodged with the Election Commission since polling day, he said.

The MLA alleged that the TDP had engaged in booth rigging and demanded re-polling in over 60 polling stations.MLA Mahesh Reddy emphasised the necessity of investigations based on footage and requested re-polling in areas where violent incidents occurred, booths were rigged by the TDP and substantial evidence has been provided to the Chief Electoral Officer.

He highlighted instances where the police failed to intervene despite being aware of TDP attempts to intimidate YSRCP voters and questioned the Election Commission for its inaction despite widespread rigging by TDP members.

YSRCP MLA Malladi Vishnu said that they had previously notified the Election Commission about problematic polling centres, urging security measures to safeguard voter safety in those areas. “However, under the influence of BJP state president D Purandeswari, the Election Commission was pressurised into changing officers without conducting comprehensive investigations. This decision contributed to violence erupting in various parts of the state,” he alleged.