Hans News Service Amaravati

YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy directed party leaders to systematically collect evidence of alleged irregularities and violence during local body elections and pursue legal action, saying the fight to protect democracy must continue in the courts.

At a meeting with key party leaders at party central office on Thursday, Jagan discussed the Supreme Court’s intervention over alleged irregularities during the local body elections. He said the court had expressed concern over the subversion of democracy in State and taken cognisance of complaints, prompting directions to the State Election Commission (SEC).

Jagan alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was orchestrating violence in a systematic and deliberate manner and claimed that the situation had not improved despite the Supreme Court’s directives.

He said incidents of violence were continuing during the ongoing MPTC and ZPTC elections as well. “It is unprecedented to see those in government themselves engaging in such violence,” Jagan said, accusing the government of misusing the police force to facilitate the alleged atrocities.

Emphasising the need to build a strong legal case, Jagan asked party leaders to guide workers on the ground in documenting incidents and gathering evidence.

He said the party would place substantiated material before the courts and continue its legal fight.

Hans News Service Amaravati

 YSRCP leaders staged a protest at the State Election Commission (SEC) office here on Thursday after State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha initially failed to grant them an appointment to submit their complaints over alleged obstruction of nominations for ZPTC and MPTC elections.

The leaders accused the SEC of delaying action on their complaint and demanded implementation of the Supreme Court’s directions to ensure that candidates could file nominations without intimidation. It was the second consecutive day that the YSRCP delegation had approached the SEC to explain the alleged irregularities in the nomination process.

Following the protest, the leaders were eventually granted an appointment.

Speaking to the media, YSRCP MLC Lella Appi Reddy alleged that TDP activists, with the alleged complicity of the police, were preventing opposition candidates from filing nominations.

He claimed that illegal arrests and house arrests were being used to obstruct candidates and that those attempting to submit their papers were facing attacks.

“We approached the Supreme Court because candidates were being prevented from filing nominations. The Supreme Court directed that security be provided to those filing nominations. Despite its orders, our candidates are still facing attacks and are unable to file their papers,” he alleged.

Reddy claimed that nomination papers already submitted to election officials were being torn up and cited an alleged incident in Chittoor in which B-forms, the party authorisation documents for municipal corporation elections, were torn.