Kadapa MP and YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy moved the CBI court here on Monday for permission to exercise his vote in the presidential election here on July 19. He urged the court to direct the CBI and the prison authorities to enable him to cast his vote on the Assembly premises on that day.
Reddy said in his petition that he, as a siting MP, was a member of the electoral college and was entitled to participate in the voting. His counsel said the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules 1974 laid down that every elector had to cast the ballot personally in the manner specified and no proxies were allowed.
“As a member of the electoral college, Jagan Mohan Reddy intends to exercise such rights and is therefore approaching the court praying for issue of appropriate directions to the respondent (CBI) to permit the petitioner (Jagan Mohan Reddy) to attend the polling station at the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly premises for appearing before the polling officer/presiding officer and to exercise his vote,’’ the petition said.
Reddy’s counsel said his client had intimated the Election Commission of India about his intention to exercise his right to vote at the polling station at the Assembly and the EC permitted him to exercise his vote at the designated polling station in Hyderabad after obtaining permission from the appropriate court. He pleaded with the court to issue appropriate directions to the CBI and the prison authorities to permit and enable him to attent the polling station for voting in the Presidential election.
The matter was posted for hearing on Tuesday.