Naidu, YSRCP trade allegations over violence in Andhra Pradesh local body elections

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accused the YSRCP of violence and disruption during local body elections. YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu countered that the ruling coalition was using the police and State Election Commission to intimidate opposition candidates.

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday accused the YSRCP of resorting to “criminal politics” and attempting to disrupt local bodies polls through violence.

The YSRCP in turn charged the ruling TDP-led government with “undermining” democracy through its alleged collusion with the police and the State Election Commission (SEC).

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Addressing a press conference at his camp office in Undavalli, the Chief Minister claimed that YSRCP created disturbances at various places like Punganur, Darsi, Kadapa, Thamballepalle and Tirupati.

“They (YSRCP) have tried to create hindrances in local bodies polls from day one. YSRCP is resorting to criminal politics,” said Naidu, alleging that an YSRCP party MP had run over NDA cadres with his vehicle. The MP’s car contained liquor bottles and weapons.

According to Naidu, the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led party had attacked people across the state and set vehicles on fire. The YSRCP was willing to create unrest in the state for electoral gains.

In Kanigiri, he claimed that the YSRCP activists barged into a nomination centre and seized nomination papers, while a Janasena party office was targetted in Thamballapalle.

Noting that TDP was adhering to the regulations of the State Election Commission (SEC), Naidu called on people to discuss the alleged violence.

“Fake propaganda was being spread by YSRCP and the party supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is using his own media outlet for tarnishing the state’s image,” the CM alleged.

“They (YSRCP) were indulging in violence and also filing petitions in the courts. By approaching courts with fake litigations, they (YSRCP) have become criminal litigants. They gave wrong information to the High Court and also the Supreme Court,” he added.

The CM reminded that the coalition partners (TDP, BJP and Janasena) have released a statement to abide by the SEC’s directives as per the Supreme Court’s orders.

Citing figures from previous elections, Naidu said 24 per cent of the local bodies polls were decided unanimously during the erstwhile YSRCP government.

In contrast, he said the ongoing elections have witnessed a substantial number of nominations, with 51,902 candidates filing for 9,829 MPTCs and 5,724 for 659 ZPTCs.

“He (Jagan) will come from Bengaluru to indulge in hit and run style maligning attacks to return…I have never seen this kind of criminals in politics,” said Naidu.

The CM further alleged that Jagan was facing CBI and ED cases, and those relating to illegal assets.

Meanwhile, senior YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu slammed the Andhra Pradesh government for allegedly undermining democracy through collusion between the ruling TDP, police and SEC.

Addressing a press conference at his camp office in Guntur, Rambabu said the SEC was acting at the behest of Naidu, facilitating unanimous elections through violence and intimidation.

“Despite Supreme Court directions to protect candidates, YSRCP nominees were prevented from filing nominations, their papers torn in the police presence and the media barred from nomination centres to conceal TDP atrocities,” the former minister claimed.

He alleged that police placed opposition leaders under house arrest while enabling ruling-party candidates to file nominations.

Senior leaders Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, Bolla Brahma Naidu and Namburi Shankara Rao were confined to their homes, preventing them from distributing B-Forms and assisting candidates, he claimed.

“Police promised protection over the phone but remained mute spectators during attacks on candidates, including women,” the YSRCP leader claimed.

Rambabu said the YSRCP had identified 54 police officials, including IPS officers, for their alleged involvement in electoral irregularities.

He vowed legal action against them and condemned the alleged misuse of police machinery for Naidu’s and Nara Lokesh’s “political interests.” Calling upon voters to reject such undemocratic practices, Rambabu appealed to people to vote for the fan symbol (YSRCP) and defeat the coalition’s “politics of intimidation.”