VIJAYAWADA: Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha on Monday dismissed allegations by YSRCP leaders that the State government or the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was involved in changing polling stations for the Pulivendula and Vontimitta Zilla Praja Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) by-elections, saying arrangements were made strictly in line with the State Election Commission (SEC) guidelines.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Anitha said notifications on booth arrangements were issued on July 17 and 19, inviting objections.
“No political party raised concerns, so the ECI finalized the proposed booths,” she said. Calling the YSRCP’s claims strange and baseless, she said the polling booths were arranged according to gram panchayat boundaries, 15 in Pulivendula and 30 in Vontimitta.
“For the first time, Pulivendula will witness a democratic election for the ZPTC seat, with 11 nominations filed. Until now, the seat was usually decided unanimously,” the home minister noted. She added that revenue and police officials have made stringent arrangements for free and fair polling, in accordance with SEC rules.
Binding over individuals with criminal records during the election period, Anitha said, is a routine preventive measure to avoid untoward incidents. She also criticised attempts to portray this as a political move, reiterating that the process is part of standard election security measures.