Andhra Pradesh: YSRCP creating hurdles for contestants, alleges TDP MLC

Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party MLC P Ashok Babu on Tuesday accused the YSRCP government of using intimidation, manipulation and arm-twisting methods to prevent the rival candidates from contesting the panchayat elections in the State.

Ashok Babu said that the ruling YSRCP MLAs and ministers were creating such a pitiable situation where the MROs and panchayat secretaries were not issuing the caste and no dues certificates to the contestants. Proof of this was, how YSRCP MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy held a meeting to tell the MROs not to cooperate with the contesting candidates belonging to the opposition parties.

Addressing a press conference here, the TDP MLC said that their party had complained this to the State Election Commission (SEC) and sought its clear orders to the Collectors and all the officials concerned to facilitate quick issue of the certificates.

YSRCP plans were to delay these certificates by making the officials take more than one month's time to prevent the rival contestants from filing their nominations. The SEC should give orders to make the panchayat secretaries accept house and water tax dues without creating any problems to the contestants in getting no dues certificates. Ashok Babu asserted that some All India Officers were crossing their line and stooping too low.

If they connived with the ruling YSRCP leaders, the TDP would complain this time directly to the Department of Personnel and Training, the Government of India. Such complaints against the lower level officials would be given to the SEC. It was unfortunate that Panchayat Raj Secretary Gopalakrishna Dwivedi and Commissioner Girija Shankar behaved in such a manner that they received 'censure orders' from the State Election Commission. On his part, DGP Gautam Sawang tried to outwit the High Court which had eventually threatened to issue a warrant against the DGP himself, if he did not present himself before it on Wednesday. Ashok Babu said that even after the strictures passed by the Supreme Court and the High Court, the YSRCP leaders were still using their wicked ways to hijack the election by not allowing the officials to issue the required certificates for filing nominations.