Daijiworld Media Network - Pulivendula
Pulivendula (Andhra Pradesh), Nov 1: YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday alleged that democracy had been "murdered in broad daylight" during the municipal elections in Andhra Pradesh, accusing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) workers of occupying polling booths, driving out YSRCP agents and resorting to widespread rigging with police support.
Speaking to IANS, Jagan claimed that YSRCP polling agents were not allowed inside 70 of the 80 polling booths in Pulivendula.
"In a democracy, if opposition party agents are not allowed to sit inside polling booths, who will identify the voters? No one will be there to identify them because YSRCP polling agents have either been forcibly removed from the booths or denied entry into the polling stations," he said.
Jagan, who arrived in his hometown of Pulivendula in YSR Kadapa district to cast his vote, staged a protest outside the Returning Officer's office, demanding repolling. He was accompanied by party agents who were allegedly prevented from performing their duties.
"Is this democracy? Are we even functioning in a democratic system?" he asked.
Alleging widespread electoral malpractice, Jagan claimed that TDP workers occupied polling booths as early as 4 a.m., intimidated voters and prevented YSRCP agents from entering polling stations.
He alleged that chairperson candidate Prameelamma was attacked, while polling agent Sunanda suffered a fractured hand. Voters arriving at polling centres were allegedly stopped, threatened and sent back after their voter slips were forcibly taken away. He further claimed that bogus votes were cast even before genuine voters arrived.
Jagan accused the police of assisting TDP workers and conducting lathi-charges at several places. He also alleged that a YSRCP councillor candidate was forcibly taken away in a police jeep.
The YSRCP chief claimed that journalists and cameramen recording the alleged electoral irregularities were attacked, while their cameras and mobile phones were damaged. He said even voters who staged protests after being denied their right to vote were ignored.
Similar conditions prevailed in Kadapa, Jammalamadugu, Chittoor, Macherla, Chilakaluripet, Tadipatri, Madanapalle, Chimakurthy and Kuppam, he alleged.
Questioning Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the State Election Commission, district Collectors and Superintendents of Police, Jagan warned that the alleged incidents were setting a dangerous precedent. If the ruling party destroyed the election process, another party could adopt similar methods in the future, eventually making genuine elections impossible, he said.
He asserted that Chandrababu Naidu had no moral right to continue as Chief Minister even for a day if democracy was being reduced to such a mockery.
Jagan said nearly 1,000 police personnel had been deployed in Pulivendula, yet hundreds of TDP workers were allegedly allowed to remain around polling booths without any action. He claimed that repeated calls to the SP and Collector did not result in corrective measures.
He also questioned whether Supreme Court directions on CCTV surveillance were being followed, asking how the elections could be described as transparent without live CCTV footage from polling stations.
Jagan further alleged that even his journey to Pulivendula had been obstructed. Permission granted the previous day for his helicopter to land was withdrawn after it had taken off from Bengaluru, with authorities insisting that he arrive only after 3 p.m. He said the landing was eventually permitted after Civil Aviation authorities objected to the cancellation while the helicopter was already airborne.
He said democracy was in a dangerous condition when institutions meant to protect citizens acted against them. Warning that people could lose faith in democratic institutions, he said such a situation could lead to the emergence of extremist tendencies.
The YSRCP chief also questioned why such measures were necessary if the government enjoyed public confidence. He alleged that the Super Six and Super Seven promises had not been implemented and that bonds distributed to people before the elections had become meaningless.
He said students were suffering due to the lack of fee reimbursement, while schemes such as Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena remained unfulfilled. Employees were dissatisfied over unimplemented manifesto promises, women had lost the zero-interest scheme, and farmers were struggling without remunerative prices, he alleged.
"No section of society is happy with Chandrababu. That is why they are afraid of free elections and are trying to bulldoze the electoral process instead of facing the people," Jagan said.
He appealed to the NDA leadership and the Central Government to respond to the situation in Andhra Pradesh, saying they could not remain silent when an alliance partner was allegedly undermining the democratic electoral process.