VIJAYAWADA: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Sunday hit back at YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy over his allegations of state-sponsored electoral violence and demand for President’s Rule in AP, accusing him of political opportunism.
TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao termed the demand for President’s Rule a politically motivated ploy to incite unrest and divert public attention from the YSRCP’s legal troubles. Srinivasa Rao accused the YSRCP of creating disputes during municipal nominations while simultaneously alleging a breakdown of law and order.
He assured that the coalition government would ensure free, fair and transparent elections and warned that attempts to obstruct nominations or incite violence would invite strict action.
Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu questioned Jagan’s criticism of the election machinery, recalling alleged intimidation and violence against opposition candidates during the YSRCP regime from 2019 to 2024.
He said the TDP had boycotted the MPTC and ZPTC elections in 2021 after its candidates allegedly faced physical intimidation.
He sought an impartial investigation into the recent altercation involving Rajampet MP P V Midhun Reddy’s convoy in Punganur, based on CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts and police reports.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister and senior BJP leader Satya Kumar Yadav accused Jagan of questioning democratic institutions when out of power while accepting electoral outcomes when they favoured his party.
He also asked Jagan to clarify his position on the 2023 Central law on appointment of election commissioners, which the YSRCP had supported in Parliament.