Tirupati: Huge dump of YSRCP poll material unearthed at Renigunta

Tirupati : The discovery of a substantial cache of election campaign material in a warehouse near Tirupati airport within the Srikalahasti Assembly constituency has sparked a significant controversy with unfolding developments. Election authorities uncovered that the materials were being stored in warehouses and subsequently distributed to various locations. Election flying squad found the dump first and noticed that it was meant to be distributed to other places. The squad gave information to tahsildar and Gajulamandyam police immediately.

It has been alleged that the warehouses were under the control of Chandragiri MLA Cheivreddy Bhaskar Reddy, leading to purported pressure on police and officials to refrain from accessing the premises.

TDP activists intervened, utilising the cVIGIL app to raise concerns, insisting on the inspection of the warehouse before the movement of the material lorry which was ready for transport. Eventually, on Tuesday night, officials opened the warehouses, documenting the contents before resealing them. The inventory reportedly amounted to Rs 50 crore worth of material affiliated with the YSRCP.

During the inspection, TDP leaders, including Srikalahasti MLA candidate Bojjala Sudheer Reddy, Chandragiri MLA candidate Pulivarthi Nani, TDP Tirupati district president G Narasimha Yadav and others discovered a ledger detailing the distribution of materials across the state. The items ranged from wristwatches featuring YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's image to saris, dummy EVMs, cookware, umbrellas, speakers, and various other consumer goods. TDP leaders alleged that there are four more warehouses stocked with similar material to lure the voters in favour of YSRCP. They criticised the lacklustre response of both district Election Officer and Superintendent of Police in this regard.

TDP leaders Narasimha Yadav, Sugunamma, Sudheer Reddy, K Hemanth Royal and others reached the godown again on Wednesday morning. On this occasion, Sugunamma alleged that despite the passage of 24 hours since the incident surfaced, neither the returning officer nor the district election officer had visited the site, indicating potential external pressures amidst the ongoing Model Code of Conduct. She also claimed that nearly 80 percent of the materials had already been distributed state wide, leaving only 20 percent remaining.

Subsequently, they submitted a formal complaint to the district election officer at the Collectorate, urging action against negligent local election officials and contesting candidates involved in voter inducement efforts.

TDP Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar escalated the matter by writing to the Chief Election Commissioner, detailing the warehouse discovery and urging the seizure of all materials. Additionally, he requested surveillance on remaining stocks, investigation into other storage locations, identification of purchasers, and legal action under relevant statutes for violating the Model Code of Conduct.