VIJAYAWADA: By shifting the blame on EVMs and Election Commission, Chief Minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu is preparing the ground to absolve himself from impending defeat in the elections and keep his flock together in face of the growing dissent within the yellow party, YSRC leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has said.
He said Naidu’s outbursts on the Election Commission, complaints against EVMs and frequent tours to neighbouring States were only to keep his flock together and raise false hope among them on the election results. On the one hand, he has been telling that 30 per cent of the EVMS were faulty and on the other, he has been putting up a brave face and telling that his party is going to sweep the elections.
“The contradiction only shows that he wants to prepare his cadre and show them a reason for poll defeat. Naidu wanted to create a perception that Jagan has tampered with the EVMs, which is the reason for the mismatch of the expectations and the end result,” he said. Naidu started the exercise soon after the electioneering was over and continues to do so, he said and added that even his close aides were keeping a distance from him.