YSRCP’s Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy demanded a judicial inquiry into alleged police firing in Pulivendula. He accused the TDP government of obstructing nominations, intimidating candidates, and engineering unopposed electoral victories.
YSRCP State Coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Tuesday demanded an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the alleged police firing in Pulivendula, alleging that officers “opened fire without provocation” while opposition candidates were attempting to file nominations, a release said.
He asserted that attacks, intimidation and criminal cases would not deter the party from contesting elections.
TDP Accused of Engineering Unopposed Victories
Addressing the media at the party’s central office in Tadepalli, Sajjala accused the TDP government of obstructing the nomination process, coercing candidates into withdrawing and engineering the rejection of nominations before claiming electoral victories unopposed.
He alleged that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and sections of the media were projecting these uncontested victories as evidence of public support while blaming the YSRCP for violence allegedly committed by ruling-party groups.
Sajjala further alleged that police personnel were going beyond the ruling party’s workers by directly attacking opposition candidates and obstructing their participation in the electoral process, it alleged.
Specific Allegations of Intimidation and Violence
Citing the use of the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against senior Dalit leader Rajaiah in Duggirala, which falls under IT Minister Nara Lokesh’s Mangalagiri constituency, Sajjala alleged that the action was intended to prevent Rajaiah from participating in the forthcoming Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) election.
He also alleged that caste and no-dues certificates were being deliberately delayed to prevent candidates from completing nomination formalities, while threats continued even after nominations had been filed.
In Tirupati, candidate J.B. Srinivas was allegedly threatened at his residence by the husband of a Jana Sena candidate, Sajjala said.
Referring to the situation in Kadapa, he claimed that police had stopped around 40-50 prospective candidates from participating in the electoral process, while 10-12 nominations were rejected.
He further alleged that the residence of the mayoral candidate was attacked on Monday night to force the candidate to withdraw from the contest. “Deputy Mayor Nithyananda Reddy, meanwhile, was allegedly booked in an attempt-to-murder case.”
Sajjala accused the government of celebrating uncontested victories after systematically eliminating electoral competition, rather than allowing candidates to contest freely.
Widespread Cases Filed Against YSRCP Leaders
On Pulivendula, he said two attempt-to-murder cases had been registered against candidate Raghava Reddy and others. He also claimed that 921 grassroots leaders were facing cases intended to keep them away from municipal, MPTC and ZPTC elections.
According to the party’s state office, in Rayachoti, Sajjala alleged that Srikanth Reddy’s office was set on fire, but counter-cases were subsequently registered against 300 people. He also cited similar instances of non-bailable cases being registered in Kadapa and Darsi.
The YSRCP leader said candidates in Chittoor had begun recording videos to protect themselves against alleged attempts to forge or coerce their withdrawals from the electoral contest. He added that, instead of campaigning on the government’s failures, the opposition party was being forced to concentrate on protecting its candidates and ensuring their participation in elections.
Calls for SEC Intervention
Sajjala further alleged that repeated requests to remove officers accused of acting in a partisan manner had failed to elicit an effective response from the State Election Commission (SEC), although the complaints remained on record.
Rejecting descriptions of the incidents as ordinary clashes requiring police intervention, Sajjala alleged that police personnel themselves had obstructed nominations, attacked candidates and opened fire into the air in Pulivendula while shielding TDP groups. He said the alleged pattern of intimidation warranted judicial scrutiny and immediate intervention by the SEC to ensure a free and fair electoral process.
YSRCP Vows to Continue Fight
Reiterating the party’s resolve to continue contesting elections, Sajjala said the YSRCP would pursue its legal battle up to the Supreme Court, expose the government’s alleged failures and collectively resist attempts to obstruct its candidates.
“We will move forward, contest wherever possible and respect the people’s verdict. Seats secured through intimidation cannot establish public support,” Sajjala said.
He demanded that all candidates be given a genuine opportunity to contest elections without fear, intimidation or coercion.
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