VIJAYAWADA: Accusing the ruling YSRC of misusing official machinery for the April 17 by-election, opposition TDP has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to deploy external observers for the seven Assembly constituencies under the Tirupati Lok Sabha segment. The observers must not belong to AP or Telangana and they should report to the ECI from time to time for appropriate action, the TDP demanded. The TDP also urged the ECI to deploy paramilitary forces for the by-election.
In a letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, a copy which was submitted to Chief Electoral Officer K Vijayanand in the Secretariat, on Saturday, the TDP alleged that democratic atmosphere is under continuous attack under the YSRC regime. “The recently conducted elections for gram panchayats and urban local bodies witnessed unprecedented violence and violations by the ruling party,” the TDP alleged.
Predicting that the YSRC will resort to all such tactics in Tirupati by-election as a section of officials and police are working in favour of the ruling party due to the “threats from the YSRC leaders’’, the TDP appealed to the CEC to depute external observers for the Tirupati Lok Sabha by-election.
They further underscored the need to depute one external election observer for each Assembly segment within Tirupati Parliamentary constituency along with one external observer for the entire Parliament segment to ensure a smooth, peaceful, free and fair election.