Chandrababu Naidu under EC scanner; CEO asks collectors to explain poll anomalies

Chandrababu Naidu under EC scanner; CEO asks collectors to explain poll anomalies

It is learnt that the ECI, after the recent Supreme Court rap, decided to act tough on any poll code violation and took a serious view of the remarks made by Naidu against it.

HYDERABAD: In what can be seen as an indication that the Election Commission of India (ECI) may act tough on poll code violation and remarks against its functioning, the panel has asked State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi to send a translated version of the conversation that took place a day before elections between him and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

It is learnt that the ECI, after the recent Supreme Court rap, decided to act tough on any poll code violation and took a serious view of the remarks made by Naidu against it. The poll body has asked Dwivedi to send the video recording and the English transcript of the conversation Naidu had with him. It may be recalled that Naidu, a day before polling, went to submit a representation to the CEO questioning the decisions taken by the EC days before the elections transferring Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha and a few IPS officers in the State. The CM later staged a protest at the CEO’s office at Interim Government Complex in Velagapudi.

Questioning the rationale behind the transfer of Intelligence chief A B Venkateswara Rao and SPs of three districts, Naidu alleged that the transfers came just hours after YSRC leaders declared that a particular SP was going to be shifted. 

“The EC is acting at the behest of the PM (Narendra Modi) and you are acting at the behest of the EC,’’ Naidu was heard saying while speaking to the CEO on the video recording. He also wanted to know if the CEO verified the complaints before taking any action.

Naidu, during his meeting with Dwivedi, observed that the Telangana CEO said simple ‘sorry’ over removal of nearly 25 lakh votes after the elections there. Naidu also faulted the EC’s decision to transfer the SP of Kadapa when the probe into YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case was underway. He criticised the CEO for acting as per directions of the EC without even verifying facts independently. 

At one point during his meeting with the CEO, Naidu, alleging EC’s bias towards the YSRC, remarked that the poll body might as well come to the State and campaign for the the Opposition party. Taking such comments questioning the credibility of the poll body, the Commission asked the CEO to send the translated conversation of Naidu. The ECI also took serious view of the video released by Naidu on the election day appealing to electors to vote for development.

Meanwhile, in a related development, CEO Gopal Krishna Dwivedi asked the collectors of the 13 districts to submit a report on the poll related incidents that took place on April 11. The CEO reportedly took serious view of the failure of the district collectors to utilise the services of three engineers from BHEL who were allotted to each Assembly constituency to attend to any technical snags in EVMs. 

“The engineers were not given the route maps to enable them to travel from one centre to another,’’ the CEO reportedly observed and expressed anger over their failure to use the services of technical experts though 600 BHEL engineers were made available at the time.

Dwivedi also asked the collectors to give in writing the reasons that led to the conduct of polling even after 6 pm on April 11. “If the polling was delayed intentionally, the official concerned will be brought to book,’’ the CEO said.

The CEO sought a report on the handing over of an EVM by a Returning Officer in Penamaluru constituency in Krishna district and also minor participating in voting in Rajam constituency in Srikakulam district.

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