YSR Congress Demands Fresh Nominations for 22 Urban Local Bodies in Andhra Pradesh
YSR Congress urges state election commission for new nominations in 22 urban local bodies after alleged disruptions in the process.
Vijayawada, October 19 (Daily Kiran) : The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has called on the State Election Commission to either conduct fresh nominations or postpone elections for 22 urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh. This request follows claims that their candidates faced significant barriers during the nomination process.
A delegation from YSRCP met with State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha, presenting video evidence of attacks, threats, and tampered nomination papers. The delegation included MLC and State General Secretary Lella Appi Reddy, former MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu, and Narayan Moorthy, who provided a pen drive containing evidence along with three memorandums.
Speaking to the media afterward, Appi Reddy accused Telugu Desam Party (TDP) workers of tearing up opposition nomination papers out of fear of losing, with police allegedly complicit in these actions. He reported that, out of 809 wards and divisions across the 22 local bodies, YSRCP candidates managed to file nominations in only 321, leaving 488 wards without any nominations. Additionally, there were no nominations for the eight municipal chairpersons.
The party also raised concerns regarding attacks on MPs Mithun Reddy, Gurumurthy, and Avinash Reddy. They highlighted incidents of violence during the nomination process, particularly in the polling centers of Atmakur and Kakinada, where nomination papers were reportedly destroyed. YSRCP workers faced assaults in Proddatur and Kuppam, where the candidate for the Kuppam chairperson position, Vijay Kumar, was reportedly abducted. The party demanded the immediate release of abducted candidates and protection for their families.
Appi Reddy insisted on compliance with high court directives concerning CCTV surveillance, police security, and transparent elections. He criticized the lack of monitoring and webcasting at various centers, despite repeated requests. The party called for securing recorded evidence, prosecuting TDP leaders responsible for the violence, and removing any colluding officials from election duties.
Furthermore, the YSRCP requested the SEC to investigate the BC certificates of mayoral candidate Vasu Yadav and to make decisions regarding nominations without political pressure. They also advocated for affected candidates to be given another chance before any uncontested declarations are made.
In the meantime, the YSR Congress condemned the state-wide attacks, kidnappings, and destruction of nomination papers during the municipal elections.
