Kurnool: The Dhone election officials gave some anxious moments to finance minister Buggana Rajendranath and the YSRC cadre before approving his nomination papers on Friday.
They reportedly put his nomination papers pending after finding some mandatory columns not filled up. However, after some adjustments, the officials later announced that they had accepted Rajendranath’s nomination, easing the tense situation.
Returning Officer Maheshwar Reddy gave some time to Rajendranath to fix the mistakes after the opposition's lawyers raised objections. The Returning Officer reportedly sent a notice to Rajendranath’s advocates, asking them to fill in the missing information by Friday evening. After getting the necessary details from the lawyers, the Returning Officer has approved Rajendranath’s nomination and issued a letter to them.
Lawyers supporting the finance minister have explained to the media at a press conference in the evening that all the required information was provided and got updated in the four sets of nomination papers. They argued that there was no need to mention the properties of Rajendranath's daughter, who got married, or provide details about his 24-year-old independent son. They criticised the Opposition’s lawyers for making false claims about the defective nomination and spreading rumours of rejection. They announced that they were ready to provide any information on behalf of the candidate at any time for verification.
However, local Telugu Desam leaders Valasala Ramakrishna, Srinivas Yadav, and Vadde Maharaj have criticised the Returning Officer for not following the time schedule and guidelines for scrutiny. They questioned why nomination papers from other candidates were rejected according to the guidelines, and considered giving time to update the details in Rajendranath's nomination papers. They have filed a complaint with the Election Commission authorities and demanded local Returning Officer, Maheshwar Reddy, be transferred.
Telugu Desam advocates Srinivasa Bhat and Bhaskar Reddy declared their intent to file a writ in the court if necessary, citing the Returning Officer's acceptance of the flawed nomination papers without adhering to the Election Commission's guidelines.
