A delegation of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders on Tuesday met State Election Commissioner Nilam Sawhney, demanding immediate action against what they termed “blatant electoral malpractices” by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) during the Pulivendula and Ontimitta ZPTC byelections.
The delegation included MLCs Lella Appi Reddy and Monditoka Arun Kumar, former ministers Ambati Rambabu and Velampalli Srinivasa Rao, former MLAs Malladi Vishnu and Hafeez Khan, Vijayawada Mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi, and other senior leaders. They submitted a memorandum alleging that TDP cadres, with the support of the police, obstructed YSRCP agents and voters, intimidated polling staff, and facilitated bogus voting by non-local individuals.
According to YSRCP leaders, since polling began at 7 a.m., their booth agents and supporters were forcibly prevented from entering polling stations. In Pulivendula, they claimed, non-local TDP activists from Jammalamadugu removed YSRCP booth agents, seized voter slips, and carried out large-scale fake voting. The party further alleged that its candidate, Hemant Reddy, was placed under house arrest, while TDP’s candidate, Lata Reddy, moved about freely.
The delegation also alleged that women voters from Nallagondavaripalle were stopped from exercising their franchise, with some pleading with police to be allowed to vote. They condemned the arrest of Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy and the house arrests of local leaders Satish Reddy and Sudheer Reddy, calling these actions part of a wider conspiracy to “rig the polls” and target party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Describing the events as “unprecedented rigging,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao accused the TDP-led alliance of “using money and muscle power” to influence the outcome. Mr. Vishnu alleged that the Election Commission was turning a blind eye to repeated YSRCP complaints.
