Amid post-poll violence in Andhra, EC summons Chief Secy, DGP over ‘failure’, ‘steps taken’

The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) have accused each other of attacking their cadres outside polling booths. The TDP contested the simultaneous elections to the Assembly and Lok Sabha in Andhra in alliance with the BJP and JanaSena Party.

On Monday, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that 15 polling agents of his party had been kidnapped by YSRCP men in Chittoor, Palnadu and Guntur districts. While 12 of them reportedly “found their way back”, Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena said three others were “traced” and “rescued”. According to Meena, the agents were kidnapped from Sadun mandal in Chittoor district, which falls under the Punganur Assembly segment.

YSRCP general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, however, accused the TDP of instigating violence and disrupting the polling process. “The fear of losing the election is forcing TDP leaders and cadres to instigate violence,” he said.

An official from DGP Gupta’s office said he was busy in meetings and could not respond. Jawahar Reddy’s office said the Chief Secretary did not want to comment. Incidentally, Gupta had been appointed as Andhra DGP on May 6, a week before polling, after the EC ordered the transfer of former top cop K V Rajendranath Reddy after complaints of “bias”.>

Among the cases of violence reported across the state, there was tension in Narasaraopet Tuesday after TDP cadres allegedly attacked the house of YSRCP MLA Gopireddy Srinivas in retaliation to the attack on TDP candidate C Arvind. The police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

On Wednesday, clashes broke out in Tadipatri after TDP leader J C Diwakar Reddy reportedly directed his cadre to hoist the party flag atop of the residence of sitting YSRCP MLA Kethireddy Pedda Reddy.

In Darsi of Prakasam district, polling was halted for a while after a TDP councillor damaged an EVM in a polling booth. Similarly, polling was briefly halted at a booth in Kuppam, Naidu’s constituency, after workers of the TDP and YSRCP clashed.

In Tenali, sitting YSRCP MLA A Shiva Kumar was accused of slapping a voter who asked him not to jump the line in the voting queue. As the voter slapped the MLA back, the legislator’s supporters roughed up the voter.

Incidents of stone-pelting and scuffles between TDP and YSRCP cadres were also reported from the Assembly constituencies of Anantapur, Gannavaram, Macherla, Amadalavalasa and districts of Palnadu, Tirupati, Kurnool and Prakasam.

The police resorted to firing in the air in Tirupati to disperse clashing TDP and YSRCP workers, while in Gurazala, miscreants set ablaze four motorcycles and hurled crude bombs.

Meanwhile, the YSRCP has written to the CEC and DGP alleging that violence in the state “erupted since the announcement of polls on March 16”. Party leader L Appi Reddy in his letter to the CEC accused the Special Police Observer in the state Deepak Mishra of “avoiding complaints against the TDP miscreants who attacked YSRCP leaders”. “These actions suggest the law enforcement mechanism in the state was compromised during polling and suggest that the police observer may be favouring the TDP,” the YSRCP alleged.

In its letter to the DGP, the YSRCP claimed the situation in the state had reached critical levels and “is endangering the safety and well-being of party members”. The party also urged the DGP to conduct a “thorough and impartial” investigation into the alleged incidents of violence intimidation.

– With inputs from Damini Nath