YSRCP stages protest at SEC office

Amaravati: YSRCP leaders staged a protest at the State Election Commission (SEC) office here on Thursday after State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha initially failed to grant them an appointment to submit their complaints over alleged obstruction of nominations for ZPTC and MPTC elections.

The leaders accused the SEC of delaying action on their complaint and demanded implementation of the Supreme Court’s directions to ensure that candidates could file nominations without intimidation. It was the second consecutive day that the YSRCP delegation had approached the SEC to explain the alleged irregularities in the nomination process.

Following the protest, the leaders were eventually granted an appointment.

Speaking to the media, YSRCP MLC Lella Appi Reddy alleged that TDP activists, with the alleged complicity of the police, were preventing opposition candidates from filing nominations.

He claimed that illegal arrests and house arrests were being used to obstruct candidates and that those attempting to submit their papers were facing attacks.

“We approached the Supreme Court because candidates were being prevented from filing nominations. The Supreme Court directed that security be provided to those filing nominations. Despite its orders, our candidates are still facing attacks and are unable to file their papers,” he alleged.

Reddy claimed that nomination papers already submitted to election officials were being torn up and cited an alleged incident in Chittoor in which B-forms, the party authorisation documents for municipal corporation elections, were torn.

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