Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday accused the YSRCP of resorting to "criminal politics" and attempting to disrupt local body polls through violence. The YSRCP, in turn, accused the ruling TDP-led government of "undermining" democracy through alleged collusion with the police and the State Election Commission (SEC).
Addressing a press conference at his camp office in Undavalli, Naidu claimed that the YSRCP had created disturbances in several places, including Punganur, Darsi, Kadapa, Thamballapalle and Tirupati.
“They (YSRCP) have tried to create hindrances in local bodies polls from day one. YSRCP is resorting to criminal politics,” Naidu said, alleging that a YSRCP MP had run over NDA cadres with his vehicle. The MP’s car contained liquor bottles and weapons, he claimed.
According to Naidu, the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led party had attacked people across the state and set vehicles on fire. He alleged that the YSRCP was willing to create unrest in the state for electoral gains.
In Kanigiri, YSRCP activists barged into a nomination centre and seized nomination papers, Naidu claimed, adding that a Jana Sena Party office had been targeted in Thamballapalle.
Noting that the TDP was adhering to the SEC's regulations, Naidu urged people to discuss the alleged violence.
"Fake propaganda was being spread by YSRCP and the party supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is using his own media outlet for tarnishing the state's image,” the CM alleged.
"They (YSRCP) were indulging in violence and also filing petitions in the courts. By approaching courts with fake litigations, they (YSRCP) have become criminal litigants. They gave wrong information to the High Court and also the Supreme Court,” he added.
Naidu said the coalition partners, the TDP, BJP and Jana Sena, had issued a statement pledging to abide by the SEC's directives in accordance with Supreme Court orders.
Citing figures from previous elections, Naidu said 24 per cent of local body polls had been decided unanimously during the previous YSRCP government.
In contrast, he said, the ongoing elections had seen a substantial number of nominations, with 51,902 candidates filing for 9,829 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs) and 5,724 for 659 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs).
“He (Jagan) will come from Bengaluru to indulge in hit and run style maligning attacks to return… I have never seen this kind of criminals in politics,” Naidu said.
The chief minister further alleged that Jagan was facing cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), as well as cases relating to alleged illegal assets.
Meanwhile, senior YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu accused the Andhra Pradesh government of undermining democracy through alleged collusion between the ruling TDP, the police and the SEC.
Addressing a press conference at his camp office in Guntur, Rambabu alleged that the SEC was acting at Naidu's behest, facilitating unanimous elections through violence and intimidation.
“Despite Supreme Court directions to protect candidates, YSRCP nominees were prevented from filing nominations, their papers torn in the police presence and the media barred from nomination centres to conceal TDP atrocities,” the former minister claimed.
He alleged that police had placed opposition leaders under house arrest while allowing ruling-party candidates to file nominations.
Senior leaders Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, Bolla Brahma Naidu and Namburi Shankara Rao were confined to their homes, preventing them from distributing B-Forms and assisting candidates, he claimed.
"Police promised protection over the phone but remained mute spectators during attacks on candidates, including women," Rambabu alleged.
Rambabu said the YSRCP had identified 54 police officials, including Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, for their alleged involvement in electoral irregularities.
He vowed to take legal action against them and condemned what he described as the misuse of police machinery to serve the "political interests" of Naidu and Nara Lokesh.
Calling on voters to reject what he described as undemocratic practices, Rambabu urged people to vote for the YSRCP's fan symbol and defeat the coalition's “politics of intimidation.”
(With inputs from PTI)