YS Jagan accuses Naidu of unleashing violence to win polls

Amaravati: YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of using violence, intimidation and the police machinery to influence the urban local body elections, alleging that even party MP and Lok Sabha leader Peddireddy Midhun Reddy was attacked. Jagan spoke to Mithun Reddy over the phone to enquire about the incident and his condition.

Jagan alleged in a statement that public opposition to the NDA coalition government had intensified after two-and-a-half years in power and that the ruling alliance was resorting to violence out of fear of electoral defeat. He accused the police of remaining inactive during attacks and alleged that Naidu was misusing official machinery to commit electoral irregularities.

“Chandrababu has turned Andhra Pradesh into a jungle raj. We are witnessing a situation where even our party leader in the Lok Sabha has no security,” Jagan said. He asserted that the YSRCP would resist the alleged excesses through legal and constitutional means and take the prevailing situation before the courts. Free and fair elections, he maintained, required the deployment of Central paramilitary forces.

Meanwhile, a YSRCP delegation comprising MLCs Lella Appi Reddy and Ruhulla, former MLA T J R Sudhakar Babu, Nallamaru Chandrasekhar Reddy and Yanamala Nagarjuna Yadav met officials of the State Election Commission (SEC) and sought immediate intervention to protect opposition candidates and ensure acceptance of their nominations.

Appi Reddy alleged that YSRCP candidates were being attacked outside nomination centres and that officials were refusing to accept nomination papers under pressure from the ruling establishment. He termed the incidents “government-sponsored violence” and cited the attack on Mithun Reddy in his home district as an example.

The delegation also alleged threats and attacks against party candidates in Rayachoti, Tadipatri, Tirupati and Dachepalli. They briefed SEC nodal officer Rajakumari and demanded stricter intervention, including the deployment of Central forces. Sudhakar Babu accused the SEC of failing to act impartially and urged the ruling TDP to face voters through the ballot rather than intimidation. The delegation also sought online nomination facilities and alternative mechanisms for submission of nomination papers to ensure free and fair elections.

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