Jagan refuses to vote in Pulivendula, demands repolling in 70 booths

Amaravati: YSRCP president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy staged a sit-in protest outside the returning officer’s office in Pulivendula on Sunday, demanding repolling, alleging that his party’s polling agents were driven out of 70 of the municipality’s 80 booths.

Jagan reached the office with the affected polling agents and relieving agents and questioned how polling could continue when opposition representatives were allegedly prevented from entering booths. He urged the returning officer to exercise his authority, conduct an impartial inquiry and order repolling.

“The decision you take today will not remain confined to Pulivendula. It will become a precedent for how elections are conducted in future. 70 polling agents and relieving agents are standing before you and explaining what happened. What more evidence is required?” he asked.

Jagan said the agents could be examined individually and that the party was ready to remain at the RO’s office until their complaints were heard. He claimed YSRCP had hundreds of videos, CCTV footage and other evidence of electoral manipulation. Alleging that agents’ authorisation cards were taken away and polling stations brought under control, he said genuine voters were stopped, voter slips torn and some people told that their votes had already been cast.

The YSRCP chief said he had chosen a democratic protest rather than allowing the situation to escalate and announced that the party would approach courts. He accused the SEC, returning officers, collectors and SPs of functioning as ‘puppets in Chandrababu Naidu’s hands’ and demanded an independent election administration.

Referring to the previous YSRCP government, he said it had accepted decisions taken by the then SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, including removal of officials from election duties. Jagan, who had travelled to Pulivendula to cast his vote, announced that he would not vote under the prevailing circumstances. “If I cast my vote now, it would mean that I accept that everything in this election process is proper. I cannot do that. I will vote if repolling is ordered in accordance with justice, fairness and conscience,” he said.

Warning that failure to protect nomination and voting rights could threaten other democratic rights, Jagan demanded an impartial inquiry, examination of all evidence, action against those responsible and immediate repolling in Pulivendula.

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