Chandrababu Naidu alleges threats by YSRCP, police to Oppn-backed nominees

Amaravati: TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the ruling YSRCP leaders were resorting to intimidation tactics and threats to rival candidates in Macherla, Gurazala and Punganur Assembly constituencies in the ongoing panchayat polls.

He demanded the State Election Commission (SEC) and the DGP to take all necessary steps to prevent the high handed behaviour of the ruling party in these segments. A TDP delegation led by party MLC P Ashok Babu met and handed over Naidu's letter to the SEC on Monday.

The TDP chief complained that the police themselves were threatening to prevent the opposition-supported candidates from filing the nominations. In Punganur, false cases were filed against 26 TDP activists, he said adding that minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy should be held responsible for all these election violations. He said the ruling party leaders were blatantly subverting the election process with their illegal activities.

The TDP chief said in many places, local village secretaries and other staff were delaying issuing caste and no-dues certificates to the rival contesting candidates. Many hurdles were being created in this process. Violations were taking place in Punganur and Macherla. At Jammalamadaka, village secretary Koteswara Rao was not available to issue no dues certificates to the opposition candidates, he said.

Naidu alleged that that hurdles were created in giving caste and no dues certificates in 38 villages in Karampudi, Durgi, Rentachintala, Macherla and Veldurthi mandals. The police were conniving with the YSRCP leaders and filing false ganja and liquor cases against the opposition-backed candidates.

He condemned that the police registered a false case and arrested the husband of a contesting sarpanch candidate named Ankamma at Rentachintala in Guntur district.

The ruling party targeted her family just for filing the nomination. Macherla CI Bhaktavatsala Naidu and the SIs of Durgi, Rentachintala, Veldurthi, Macherla and Nagarjuna Sagar were threatening the opposition candidates to prevent them from filing nominations, he said.