Politics

Andhra Pradesh : YSRCP and TDP Clash over Bogus votes issue

4 months ago
333 Views
YSRCP vs TDP

The ruling YSRCP and the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are both targeting each other over the issue of bogus votes in Andhra Pradesh. The Central Election Commission visited Andhra Pradesh to review the preparations for the upcoming elections and met with leaders of political parties to gather suggestions and complaints.

TDP and Janasena lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that the YSRCP had enrolled a large number of bogus votes in every constituency in the state. The YSRCP also filed complaints against the TDP and Janasena, accusing them of targeting the voters of YSRCP and its sympathizers. Additionally, the YSRCP alleged that the TDP is attempting to register duplicate votes by enrolling the votes of Andhra settlers from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh.

TDP-Janasena complaint against YSRCP

TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu and Janasena Chief Pawan Kalyan recently met with the Central Election Commission at Vijayawada and filed a complaint against YSRCP regarding alleged bogus votes. Following the meeting, Pawan Kalyan addressed the media, accusing YSRCP of enrolling bogus votes in all 175 constituencies and claiming that there are approximately 1 lakh bogus votes in the Chandragiri constituency alone.

Pawan Kalyan stated that they appealed to the CEC for the exclusion of village and ward volunteers from election duties. He expressed his confidence that if a free and fair election is held in Andhra Pradesh, the government will definitely change in the state.

Vijay Sai Reddy questions TDP’s complaints

YSRCP Rajya Sabha member, who met the Central Election Commission, later addressed the media, making allegations against TDP and Janasena. Vijayasai Reddy questioned why the Election Commission allowed a non-recognized party like Janasena to meet them. He also questioned how the Election Commission could accept bulk complaints from a single person, mentioning Koneru Suresh, who lodged a complaint alleging 10 lakh bogus votes in 175 constituencies.

Reddy raised concerns about how a single person could have knowledge of the alleged bogus votes in all constituencies, emphasizing that only Booth Level Officers could accurately identify and report such issues. He demanded action against Koneru Suresh, alleging that his complaint itself was bogus and wasted the time of bureaucrats.

Vijayasai Reddy stated that, based on information obtained through RTI, Koneru Suresh claimed there were 67,370 bogus votes in Kurnool district. However, Electoral Registration Officers’ verification revealed that 59,054 votes were genuine, constituting 80% of the total votes. Reddy explained that the remaining votes might belong to voters who migrated or are deceased, dismissing the possibility of bogus votes. He said Koneru Suresh complained, alleging 40,358 bogus votes in Annamaiah district, but in the EROs’ verification, it was clarified that over 26,000 votes, which comprise 62% of the total votes, are genuine, and all of them belong to local residents. He also mentioned that Koneru Suresh complained to the Election Commission, alleging 38,872 bogus votes in Visakhapatnam, but during the verification, it was proven that 26,123 votes, which constitute 67% of the total votes, are genuine. He accused the TDP of intentionally targeting YSRCP voters and sympathizers to eliminate their votes from the list.

Vijayasai Reddy further alleged that TDP was creating illegal voter profiles using ‘My Party Dashboard,’ a violation of the People Representatives Act. He also accused TDP of attempting to garner votes through tdpmanifesto.com, a website demonstrating false promises. Reddy appealed for action against these practices and urged the Election Commission to conduct elections for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh simultaneously to prevent duplicate voting. He claimed that TDP conducted an enrollment drive in Hyderabad, urging Andhra settlers to register and vote in Andhra Pradesh as the Telangana assembly elections were over. Vijayasai Reddy emphasized their appeal to the Election Commission to investigate these matters.

Also Read: From Tanguturi Prakasam to YS Jagan: Caste and Political Dynamics in Andhra Pradesh

Issue over Pawan Kalyan and Nagababu votes

The YSRCP alleges that the vote of Janasena Chief Pawan Kalyan is invalid, claiming that he registered it using the address of the Janasena party office in Mangalagiri. YSRCP leaders argue that Election Commission regulations stipulate that a voter card should be obtained based on the residential address where an individual resides. Given that Pawan Kalyan reportedly stays in hotels whenever he visits Andhra Pradesh, the YSRCP questions the validity of the office address being considered his residential address. Consequently, they assert that Pawan Kalyan’s vote is illegitimate.

Recently, the Election Commission rejected the voter applications of Pawan Kalyan’s brother Nagababu and his family. Nagababu and his family members, who reside in Hyderabad, had cast their votes in the Telangana Assembly Elections. Subsequently, after the elections, they enrolled their votes in Tadepalli, within the Mangalagiri constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

During the verification process conducted by booth-level officers, it was found that the address provided by Nagababu’s family for the voter cards belonged to someone else. The Election Returning Officer contacted Nagababu and his family to address this issue. However, Nagababu and his family did not attend the verification in person. Instead, Nagababu sent a written letter with his signature, explaining that while he is officially residing in Tadepalli, he was currently in Hyderabad for business purposes and unable to attend the verification. The officers came to the conclusion that Nagababu is not residing at the Tadepalli address he provided and finally rejected the voter applications of Nagababu and his family members.

Election Commission Clarification

Chief Election Commissioner of India, Rajeev Kumar, clearly stated in a press meeting conducted in Vijayawada that anybody can be a voter in one place, not in two places; if it is the case, it’s a crime. If anybody having just properties or ancestral things cannot be a voter. The Commission revealed that there are a total of 4.07 crore voters, among them 1.99 crores are men, and 2.07 crores are women voters.

What’s your Reaction?
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
Tags:
Shares: