Tension prevailed in Pulivendula municipality of YSR Kadapa district during municipal election polling on Sunday, with allegations of attacks, booth capturing and obstruction of YSR Congress polling agents by rival party workers.
Following this, YSRC sought repolling in all booths in Pulivendula.
The trouble began around 6am, with YSRC agents being prevented from entering polling booths. Some women polling agents were also attacked. They said they had to flee to escape assaults by groups of politically charged miscreants.
YSRC alleged that TD leaders took control of several polling booths from as early as 5am. The presence of large numbers of outsiders in Pulivendula from early morning created fear among voters, they said.
Papanna, a YSRC polling agent in Ward 9, alleged that he was not allowed to enter the booth and was forcibly sent out. “They threatened to kill me if I remained there,” he said.
Women voters from the polling booth at Chinnakondareddy Colony alleged that they were prevented from entering the booth to exercise their franchise. They found their votes had already been cast by others. “The goons threatened us, saying there was no need for us to come and vote. They cast our votes without allowing us inside,” the women alleged.
In another incident in Ward 9, a voter named Chandra alleged that after indelible ink was applied to his finger, a TD polling agent snatched the ballot paper from him and cast the vote himself.
YSRC leaders claimed that polling agents were prevented from entering nearly 70 of the 80 polling booths in the municipality. They alleged that agent appointment forms were torn up and polling agents forcibly turned away, while the police remained silent spectators.
The situation turned tense after TD workers allegedly resorted to stone-pelting.
YSRC municipal chairperson candidate YS Prameela alleged that one of the polling agents accompanying her was attacked and beaten up and was now recuperating at home with injuries. “They attacked and beat up the polling agent who came along with me. He sustained injuries and is now at home. They also tried to attack me. Though I have a general polling agent authorisation form, I was not allowed to enter any polling booth,” she alleged.
YSRC president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who arrived in Pulivendula, took stock of the situation and telephoned the state election commission, the district collector and the SP to complain about the alleged obstruction of polling. He informed them that TDP workers were preventing voters from exercising their franchise.
Later, speaking to the media, Jagan Reddy questioned the conduct of the elections. “What kind of democracy is this when our polling agents are not even allowed inside the booths,” he asked.
He also alleged that attempts had been made to prevent his helicopter from landing in Pulivendula even as it had to land under unavoidable circumstances. Accusing the police of supporting TD workers and allowing irregularities to continue, he demanded repolling throughout Pulivendula.
“We will meet the returning officer and approach the Supreme Court over the polling irregularities,” he said.
Subsequently, around 70 YSRC polling agents went to the returning officer’s office and met RO Srinivasulu and RDO G Chinnaiah. They explained the alleged irregularities and submitted a representation seeking action.
After submitting the representation, Jagan and the polling agents sat on the steps of the municipal office and staged a protest before the returning officer’s office. The dharna continued for nearly two hours, with Jagan sitting alongside the polling agents and demanding action against those responsible and repolling in Pulivendula.
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