Mangalagiri: TDP dares CM for fresh local body elections

Mangalagiri: TDP State president K Atchannaidu on Sunday termed as 'bogus' the results of the local body elections, saying that the ruling party resorted to violations, attacks and forced unanimous elections in many places.

Atchannaidu challenged Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to cancel the parishad elections and issue a fresh notification to hold the polls in a free and fair manner. Can the ruling YSRCP leaders face the rising anti-incumbency factor face to face? The Chief Minister has been making a mockery of all Constitutional institutions and processes with the elections being no exception.

In a statement here, the TDP leader recalled how Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had threatened his Ministers and MLAs with dire consequences including political exile if they failed to win the parishad elections. As a result, the ruling party leaders resorted to all sorts of harassment, misuse of the government machinery and the electoral violations. The most shameful part of all this was that the police and the officials of all the departments concerned became a party to the ruling party's excesses.

The parishad election results would not reflect the true mandate given by the people, who were totally upset with the atrocious regime. These results would only highlight the extreme levels to which the ruling YSRCP leaders would go in their bid to win the elections. They committed murder of democracy all through.

The TDP leader said that at one time, the Chief Minister warned the Ministers that they would have to go directly to the Raj Bhavan to submit their resignations if they would not get good results. Such politics of intimidation and victimisation was unheard of.

Atchannaidu accused the YSRCP leaders of getting forced unanimous results in 65 out of 69 MPTCs in Punganur, 72 out of 72 in Tamballapalli and 63 out 64 MPTCs in Srikalahasti. All these could be possible only through an exercise of gross misuse of power and fear tactics. He said that the ruling YSRCP leaders threatened to cancel the welfare benefits if the voters did not elect their party candidates. At many places, they threatened to demolish the houses and also to file illegal cases.