Ruling TDP has spent Rs 200 cr on Nandyal bypoll, alleges Jagan

Hyderabad: YSR Congress Party President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Monday said that it would be a mistake for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to claim victory in the Nandyal by-election.

Says the TDP also indulged in blatant misuse of official machinery

He said the TDP had won because of blatant misuse of official machinery, scaring away of voters with threats that the pensions and other sops would be withdrawn and using the police force for political gains besides rampant distribution of cash. He said it would also be wrong to say that this by-election was a referendum on the government’s performance. It can be a referendum only if bypolls are held to all the other 20 constituencies where the MLAs had defected, he told the media here on Monday.

The blatant misuse of money and muscle power threatening voters that they would be targeted if they go against the ruling party has given the edge as in all the public meetings it was the people who firmly told that they would reject the corrupt Chandrababu and acknowledged the fact that he went back on his poll promises.

The conservative estimate is that the ruling party has spent around Rs 200 crores for this bypoll, he said. The setback is temporary and it is not prudent for Chandrababu Naidu to describe it as a victory particularly when ethics, morals and values were thrown to winds and there was no level playing field, he said.