Tadepalli: YSRCP state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Tuesday demanded an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into alleged police firing in Pulivendula, claiming officers "opened fire without provocation" as opposition candidates tried to file nominations for local body polls.
Speaking at the party's central office in Tadepalli, he accused the ruling TDP government of obstructing nominations, coercing candidates to withdraw and engineering rejections so that it could claim uncontested victories. "Seats secured through intimidation cannot establish public support," he said.
Sajjala alleged that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and sections of the media were presenting unopposed wins as evidence of public support. He said the Preventive Detention Act had been used against Dalit leader Rajaiah in Duggirala, in IT Minister Nara Lokesh's Mangalagiri constituency, to keep him out of the MPTC election.
Other allegations: caste and no-dues certificates delayed to stall candidates; a mayoral candidate's house in Kadapa attacked on Monday night; 40-50 candidates stopped by police in Kadapa and 10-12 nominations rejected; a candidate, J.B. Srinivas, threatened at his Tirupati home by the husband of a Jana Sena candidate; and the office of Srikanth Reddy in Rayachoti set on fire, followed by counter-cases against 300 people.
In Pulivendula, he said, two attempt-to-murder cases were registered against candidate Raghava Reddy and others. He claimed 921 grassroots leaders were facing cases meant to keep them away from municipal, MPTC and ZPTC elections, and said repeated complaints to the State Election Commission about allegedly partisan officers had gone unanswered.
The YSRCP, he said, would take its legal fight up to the Supreme Court. "Violence will not stop us.
Sajjala also referred to attacks on ruling-party workers and said the party had complained repeatedly to the State Election Commission. "We will contest wherever possible and respect the people's verdict. Seats secured through intimidation cannot establish public support," he repeated. There was no immediate response from the TDP to the allegations.