Telangana GP Polls: Losing candidates demand money back from voters in Kothagudem!

Incidents of defeated gram panchayat candidates demanding money back from voters were reported in Kothagudem and Mahabubabad districts. Independent candidate Bandaru Nageshwara Rao in Bhadrachalam and Congress candidate Podium Mangapathi in Gollagudem allegedly abused voters after losing the polls.

Kothagudem/Mahabubabad: Voters who took money from the candidates contested in gram panchayat polls in a few gram panchayats in the first phase were at a loss as those who lost the elections demanded them to return their money.

Such incidents were reported in Bhadrachalam mandal and Gollagudem of Aswapuram mandal in Kothagudem district as well as at Somla Thanda of Mahabubabad mandal in Mahabubabad district.

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It was said that an independent candidate Bandaru Nageshwara Rao who contested from the 14th ward in Bhadrachalam demanded the money he had given to women voters, claiming they had not voted for him in the elections.

He verbally abused the women with vulgar language, demanding that they return his money. The women stated that they had returned the money he had given them, yet he still insulted them. They demanded Nageshwara Rao apologise to them.

Meanwhile, a sarpanch candidate of Congress Podium Mangapathi who lost election in Gollagudem gram panchayat in Aswapuram mandal to BRS supported candidate Kondru Somaiah created a ruckus on Friday night in the village.

It was said that Mangapathi and his followers, unable to accept the defeat, threatened the voters using abusive language and demanded the money he distributed to the voters. A large number of voters reached Aswapuram police station on Saturday to lodge a complaint against the defeated candidate.

The leaders of the BRS extending support to the public reached the police station; Congress candidates’ followers also reached the police station and they both engaged in heated arguments creating a tense situation.

Aswapuram Circle Inspector (CI) Ashok Reddy immediately informed the Manuguru DSP Ravinder Reddy who arrived at the scene with additional police forces and calmed down the leaders of both parties. Based on a complaint by Bollineni Ganesh of Gollagudem a case was registered against 13 persons of the village, said the CI Ashok Reddy.

In Mahabubabad, the public revolted against a defeated Congress supported sarpanch candidate Bhukya Kausalya. She along with her followers went door to door demanding the voters to take an oath that they voted for her or to return the money she distributed to them.

Kausalya, who happens to be the local MLA Murali Naik’s sister-in-law, contested for Somla thanda sarpanch seat in Mahabubabad mandal. She claimed that she had distributed money to 550 voters but got only 55 votes. Police had to intervene to pacify the protesting public in the mandal.