Tadepalli (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 20 (IANS) YSR Congress Party State Coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Tuesday said that attacks, intimidation and criminal cases would not force the party out of local body elections.
Addressing the media at the party’s central office, he demanded an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into police firing in Pulivendula, stating that officers opened fire without provocation while opposition candidates were trying to file nominations for municipal elections. Sajjala said the TDP government was preventing nominations, coercing withdrawals and engineering rejections before celebrating “unopposed victories.”
He stated that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his media were portraying this exclusion as public support while blaming YSRCP for violence committed by ruling-party groups. Police were going further than TDP workers, directly attacking and obstructing candidates, he alleged.
Sajjala cited the use of the Preventive Detention Act against senior Dalit leader Rajaiah in Duggirala, within Minister Lokesh’s Mangalagiri constituency, to prevent his participation in the forthcoming MPP election. Caste and no-dues certificates were being delayed, while candidates faced threats even after filing nominations. In Tirupati, candidate J.B. Srinivas was threatened at home by a Jana Sena candidate’s husband.
He claimed that in Kadapa, police stopped around 40–50 prospective candidates, while 10–12 nominations were rejected. The mayoral candidate’s residence was attacked on Monday night to force withdrawal, while Deputy Mayor Nithyananda Reddy faced an attempt-to-murder case. The government was celebrating uncontested results after systematically removing electoral competition.
Sajjala said two attempt-to-murder cases in Pulivendula covered candidate Raghava Reddy and others, with 921 grassroots leaders facing cases intended to keep them away from municipal, MPTC and ZPTC elections. In Rayachoti, Srikanth Reddy’s office was burned, yet counter-cases were registered against 300 people. Similar non-bailable cases followed in Kadapa and Darsi.
Candidates in Chittoor recorded videos to guard against forged or coerced withdrawals. Instead of campaigning on government failures, YSRCP was being forced to protect its candidates. Repeated requests to remove complicit officers had received no effective response from the State Election Commission.
He rejected descriptions of the incidents as ordinary clashes requiring police intervention. In Pulivendula, police themselves obstructed nominations, attacked candidates and fired into the air while shielding TDP groups, he said. This organised intimidation required judicial scrutiny and immediate SEC intervention.
YSRCP would continue its legal battle up to the Supreme Court, expose government failures and stand collectively against obstruction.
“We will move forward, contest wherever possible and respect the people’s verdict. Seats secured through intimidation cannot establish public support,” Sajjala said, demanding that candidates receive a genuine opportunity to contest without fear.
–IANS
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