Minister doctored the audio clip, alleges Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar

Hyderabad/Karimnagar: Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar said on Sunday that the audio clip in which he is heard asking for details of minister G. Kamalakar’s election expenditure from Collector Sarfaraz Ahmed, was doctored by the TRS leader himself. The clip had gone viral on Saturday.

Mr Kumar said, “The minister edited the eight-minute conversation and leaked it on social media to damage my image.” The BJP MP said he was in the process of moving an election petition about Mr Kamalakar’s poll expenditure as Mr Kamalakar had crossed the limit set by the EC.

He said that the tape of the actual conversation, which was of eight minutes duration, between him and the collector, was released in October but, he alleged, Mr Kamalakar had released a doctored one-minute clip.

Speaking to our Karimnagar correspondent, district collector Sarfaraz Ahmed condemned the allegations of conspiracy levelled against him. He said the clip was a fake.

Mr Ahmed said that as an election officer it is his responsibility to be accountable to all contestants who participated in the elections. Mr Kumar and his associate Mr Mallikarjun had applied for details of the postal ballot and election expenditure of his opponent candidate.

“As election officer I asked them to pay a demand draft and get the details after the visit of the election observer. He may get it after one month, in January. I followed the rules and election protocol and did not disclose any confidential information. All the information I gave is also available on the Election Commission website,” Mr Ahmed said.

He, too, said that a full eight-minute clip of their conversation was released in October. “By editing it, they released a one-and-a-half-minute clip,” he said.

Referring to the claim that the MP had expressed his gratitude, Mr Ahmed said Mr Kumar had thanked him for conducting the Assembly elections transparently, despite facing a lot of pressure, and wished to meet him. Mr Ahmed said he was going to submit his report to the Election Commission.