‘Many bureaucrats still working as YSRCP activists’

“The mood of the people is evident. They want change. What is required is Election Commission of India (ECI) act fast and create atmosphere for free and fair polls. It should change the chief secretary and director general of police (DGP),” says TDP senior leader and former Rajya Sabha member Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar. In an exclusive interview to The Hans India’s Purna Singh in New Delhi, he expresses concern that still police, bureaucrats, CS and DGP are under the control of the state government.

Do you think EC has been able to create confidence among people that they will be able to cast their vote freely unlike in 2019 when YSRCP resorted to violence?

After the election schedule is announced, it is the duty of the Election Commission of India to conduct free and fair elections. I can't say much about the process and progress in other states, but with regard to Andhra Pradesh, most of the fake votes have been added and genuine voters have been removed. The reason behind this is that the staff involved in this program is state government employees who are under the control of YSRCP. Entire enumeration programme has been converted into YSRCP enumeration programme.

For instance, there are 200 voters with same address. It is against the rules. The process has become a farce. Hence, we had to complain to the EC. We are awaiting the publication of final voters list.

There is a feeling that political parties are often disturbing EC with counter complaints, what is your take?

It is quite natural. The ruling party in Andhra Pradesh is misusing local police and government machinery and resorting to criminal acts. There is no independent functioning of constitutional bodies like State Election Commission, government employees, including DGPs and CS, and most of them are working as if they were party activists.

Hence allegations and counter allegations will continue in Andhra Pradesh. YSRCP blames the opposition as if we are influencing the constitutional bodies. No other state has such a menace. Police, bureaucrats, CS and DGP are under the control of YSRCP making it difficult for ECI to conduct free and fair elections.

Nowadays it has become a trend that opposition parties are complaining about top officials, including EC. Do you agree?

The Election Commission is expected to work impartially. Election Commission of India is an independent constitutional body and an autonomous body. Once elections are announced all of them are supposed to work under control of ECI. But in AP bureaucrats, including CS and DGP still work as per instructions of CM. I personally met the EC and represented irregularities with evidence.EC are not being allowed to function impartially.

TDP has been demanding that CS and DGP should also be changed. Have you also represented this to EC?

The Election Commission will have to do this. Not only TDP but the entire opposition is seriously demanding the change of DGP and CS. Last week, all NDA partners including Arun Singh, the general secretary of the BJP, and myself along with the other leaders met all three election commissioners in Delhi and submitted a representation specifically demanding that eight officers, including the CS, DGP, IG Intelligence, and other police officers, be replaced, of whom only two have been so far transferred.

What are the expectations of NDA alliance from EC in ensuring free and fair polls. What more measures do you think they should take?

Expectation of NDA alliance from EC is that it should conduct elections in a free and fair manner across the country and more so in AP. There are no complaints during the first phase polls, similar situation should be in AP as well. The mood of the people is clear. They want NDA government in AP and if EC pay special attention, we can easily win 20 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats and over 140 Assembly seats.