YSRCP president and former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy protested outside the Returning Officer’s office in Pulivendula in Kadapa district, seeking intervention after officials refused to allow him inside. (File Photo)Amid a few incidents of clashes between ruling Telugu Desam Party members and YSRCP cadres, elections to 92 urban local bodies, comprising 13 municipal corporations and 73 municipalities and six nagar panchayats were held in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.In eight urban local bodies candidates have been elected unopposed.On Sunday, YSRCP members alleged their agents were prevented from going inside the booths by TDP cadres.YSRCP president and former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy protested outside the Returning Officer’s office in Pulivendula in Kadapa district, seeking intervention after officials refused to allow him inside. Jagan strongly objected to YSRCP polling agents being prevented from entering polling booths during the Pulivendula Municipal election.Officials, however, did not permit Jagan to enter the RO’s office.He submitted a letter to the Pulivendula Municipal Returning Officer, demanding that the polling process be cancelled and repolling held in all 80 booths. He alleged that YSRCP polling agents were allowed inside in only 10 booths and in the rest 70 booths, TDP workers prevented his party’s agents from entering and tore up their authorisation papers.Basic safeguards required for free, fair and transparent elections were violated, he alleged.Story continues below this adSpeaking to reporters in Pulivendula, Reddy accused the TDP-led government of “undermining” democracy, citing “booth capturing, bogus voting and obstruction of voters at several polling stations.”The police, he said, were turning away voters and “favouring” the ruling party. “Councillor candidates were forcibly detained. Voters are not being allowed to cast their votes in Pulivendula, Jammalamadugu, Chittoor, Macherla, Tadipatri and Madanapalle.” Reddy said.Rejecting the allegations, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister P Keshav said in a release that despite attempts to “intimidate people in Pulivendula, elections were conducted freely with the intervention of the police. People turned out in large numbers.”On Jagan’s claims of booth capturing and voters being prevented from exercising their franchise, Keshav said the people who had stayed away from voting for decades were now coming out freely to cast their votes.Story continues below this adKurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen said there were incidents of hurling stones between the TDP and YSRCP supporters at Pulivendula.Leaders of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP lodged complaints with the State Election Commission (SEC), accusing YSRCP cadres of violating the Model Code of Conduct, inducing voters, and preventing them from exercising their franchise during the urban local body elections.TDP Politburo member and MLC Varla Ramaiah, along with the party’s state general secretary P Ashok Babu, submitted complaints to the SEC in connection with five separate incidents in Nellimarla, Nidadavolu, Chirala, and Pulivendula. TDP sought a comprehensive inquiry into these incidents and demanded action in accordance with election regulations.With Jagan demanding that Pulivendula municipal elections be countermanded, the TDP alleged that YSRCP cadres physically obstructed and intimidated voters.Story continues below this adTDP MLA Burla Ramanjaneyulu alleged that Jagan and his party were making “desperate attempts to derail the local body elections” in Pulivendula.While voting has been free, fair and peaceful at over 11,000 polling stations, Burla Ramanjaneyulu accused YSRCP chief of resorting to “high drama out of sheer panic over his impending defeat in his home turf”. Unable to digest the sight of voters queuing up outside booths, Jagan is “manufacturing a false narrative of chaos and intimidation for face-saving”, he said.With PTI inputsSreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the ... Read More