Andhra Municipal Polls: Jagan Alleges Booth Capture, Plans Supreme Court Move

YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged on Sunday, 1 November, that the party’s polling agents were beaten and kept out of booths during Andhra Pradesh’s municipal elections, and said the party would “definitely” approach the Supreme Court. Speaking to reporters in Kadapa, the former chief minister said agents could not sit at 80 booths and that journalists were also attacked, according to ANI. The allegations are Jagan’s; the State Election Commission’s response had not been reported when this story was written.

Four Reforms Jagan Wants

Jagan listed his demands: a change in how State Election Commissioners are appointed, an end to the use of state machinery, especially the police, in elections, live CCTV footage from polling stations, and polling agents at every booth. “Democracy currently exists only on paper,” he said. He also tied the issue to the INDIA bloc’s rally in Delhi the same day, saying the Centre should act on irregularities even when the party involved is an NDA partner.

Clashes Reported in Pulivendula and Madanapalle

Polling for 92 urban local bodies, including 13 municipal corporations, ran from morning to 5 pm on 1 November, with 10,262 candidates in the fray, Deccan Chronicle reported. The paper said YSRCP and TDP workers had clashed during nominations and that cases were registered. A YSRCP post alleged that its candidate for municipal chairperson in Madanapalle, Jinka Chalapathi, was stopped from entering and pushed out. Stones were reportedly thrown at voters in three wards of Pulivendula. These are the party’s accounts and local reports; no police finding on them was available.

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The polls had already been through the courts. IPB reported earlier that the municipal elections were moved to 1 November with nominations reopened after Supreme Court proceedings.

No Filing Date Yet

Jagan gave no date for the Supreme Court petition, and the reports did not mention the counting date or final turnout. Any State Election Commission statement on the booth allegations would be the next official word. See more in Daily Updates.

Source: Based on reporting by Asianet News (ANI), The News Mill and Deccan Chronicle.

Image: Deccan Chronicle.