AP: Plea to curb misuse of official machinery in MLC polls

In a letter addressed to Chief Electoral Officer in Andhra Pradesh, general secretary of Forum for Development of North Andhra asks to take appropriate action to curb misuse of official machinery by ruling YSRCP in the MLC elections

Visakhapatnam: The Forum for Development of North Andhra has urged the election authorities to take appropriate action to curb misuse of official machinery by the ruling YSR Congress Party in the MLC elections in north Andhra, to ensure a free and fair poll.

In a letter addressed to Chief Electoral Officer in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, general secretary of the forum A. Aja Sarma alleged that the volunteers are being used as tools of YSRCP candidate for their campaign. They were asked to mobilise the public for the ruling party candidate’s nomination.

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“They are being asked to arrange meetings with graduate voters and YSRCP leaders and its candidates are attending and campaigning in their favour. The latest one was on March 5 when a meeting was arranged by 3 p.m. and it was brought to the notice of the District Collector in the morning by 10 a.m. itself by us and requested him to take steps to stall that meeting. But, no action and the said meeting went on even though we intimated much earlier. Your letter dated March 2 to us instructing the Collectors on this issue, is not being implemented.We have on several occasions brought to your notice about bogus votes enrolled by volunteers and many of those names are still in the final voters list,” he recalled.

Noting that this inaction by officials on many complaints had given way to the ruling party in the state to misuse its entire machinery to its electoral gains, he said this could not be allowed to continue, if the Election Commission is serious about free and fair election not just in words but in action.