Hans News Service Amaravati

YSRCP leaders urged the State Election Commission to ensure that upcoming gram panchayat elections are free and fair. They alleged that ruling NDA coalition MLAs are pressuring officials to make candidates file nominations at mandal-level cluster centres instead of the designated places within their gram panchayats.

Party legal cell state president Malasani Manohar Reddy and grievance cell state president Ankareddy Narayana Murthy submitted a petition to the SEC. They said similar pressure had already been reported in Rayachoti and Maidukuru and sought immediate action against leaders and officials who violate election rules.

Manohar Reddy alleged that YSRCP candidates were previously prevented from filing nominations in 84 ZPTC and more than 2,000 MPTC seats. He said polling agents were arrested at 3 am in over 50 polling centres and forcibly removed from another 50. He also alleged that recounts overturned results in seats where YSRCP candidates led by 700-800 votes, and that fresh declarations favouring TDP candidates were issued even after victory certificates had been given.

Narayana Murthy rejected Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s claim that the polls were peaceful and that the coalition won 76 per cent of the seats. He alleged that police and revenue officials were used to enable bogus voting, arrests and result changes. He also said Supreme Court directions on CCTV cameras, webcasting and police security were not properly followed in some places.

The leaders asked the SEC to prevent nomination obstruction and take strict action against anyone violating election rules.