YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday alleged that the by-elections to the Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency seats in Pulivendula and Vontimitta, polling for which was held on Tuesday is a clear indication that democracy no longer exists in Andhra Pradesh.
“Telugu Desam Party president and chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu behaved like the leader of a gang of dacoits, surpassing even the notorious bandits of the Chambal Valley in the way votes were secured in Pulivendula,” Jagan told reporters.
He alleged that the police actively encouraged these malpractices.
“If Chandrababu Naidu truly trusts his governance and believes people will vote for him, he should cancel these elections and conduct them afresh under the supervision of central forces, in a democratic manner,” Jagan said.
According to him, polling was rigged in the absence of YSRCP booth agents. In an unprecedented move, police personnel themselves allegedly tore up the authorization forms of agents who had entered polling booths.
“The very agents who are supposed to identify voters and verify the rolls were removed from the process. Elections without polling agents cannot be called elections,” he stated.
Jagan warned that if people fail to question such incidents and protect the democratic process, democracy itself will not survive.
“The election process has been reduced to a mockery,” he remarked.
He further alleged that Anantapur District DIG Koya Praveen, a close relative of former TDP MP Garikapati Rammohan Rao, acted like a TDP worker during these by-elections.
According to Jagan, officials who refused to obey Chandrababu Naidu’s orders were sidelined without postings and subjected to harassment, while those loyal to him were allowed to oversee corrupt activities.
He accused these officials of running illegal liquor belt shops, sand and soil mafia operations, and gambling clubs.
During the press meet, Jagan played videos showing women alleging that police prevented them from voting in several villages in Pulivendula and Vontimitta, tearing up their voter slips.
Some clips showed women pleading with police, even falling at their feet, to be allowed to vote.
One video from Kanampalle allegedly showed women protesting that their votes had “disappeared” and they were unable to cast ballots.
Another clip purportedly depicted police preventing Pulivendula ZPTC candidate Hemant Reddy from leaving his house.
Meanwhile, Kadapa MP Y S Avinash Reddy announced the boycott of re-polling in two centers in Pulivendula as part of the ZPTC elections.
He said the YSRCP was boycotting to avoid falling into a “trap” set by the TDP and challenged the ruling party to hold re-polling in all 15 centers under the supervision of central forces.
