As October 10 — the date of the Movie Artistes’ Association (MAA) elections — nears, the fight between the Prakash Raj panel and the Manchu Vishnu group has intensified. Forceful speeches by both actors have hiked the tension.
On Tuesday morning, Prakash Raj (along with his panel members Jeevitha Rajasekhar and Srikanth) met the press. He said he had filed a complaint with the MAA election officer alleging that the Manchu Vishnu panel had violated the election code. He claimed Vishnu and his panel were influencing the postal ballot.
Those aged over 60 years who are out of Hyderabad can vote using the postal ballot facility, paying a nominal fee of '500. The MAA election officer will send the ballot papers to their registered addresses in sealed covers and they have to be returned in sealed covers.
According to Prakash Raj, an unidentified person from the Manchu Vishnu panel had paid around '28,000 (for 56 voters). “Isn’t this violation of election code,” he asked. “When I complained, a member, identified as Chinna (from Vishnu’s father Mohan Babu’s office) took back the money,” he claimed, and alleged that Vishnu was securing signatures from artistes.
