Jagan Demands Re-Poll With Central Forces In By-Polls
“What happened in Pulivendula and Vontimitta is the real ‘Vote Chori,’” : Jagan Mohan Reddy reddy
VIJAYAWADA: Former chief minister and YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has demanded fresh elections for the by-elections in Pulivendula and Vontimitta ZPTCs in a free and fair manner under the supervision of central forces.
Speaking to media here on Wednesday, he charged that polls held for the two ZPTCs on Tuesday had been a mockery of democracy.
He pointed out that all YSRC agents had been driven away after snatching away their forms.
The YSRC chief warned that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is setting a very bad precedent, which is dangerous for democracy. Outsiders had taken over the booths under the shield of police and resorted to large-scale rigging.
He pointed out that for casting just 10,600 votes in 15 booths, a posse of 700 police had been deployed. Instead of ensuring peaceful elections, police only terrorised voters.
Further, polling booths had been shifted only to threaten voters midway or send them back, he maintained. The former CM protested that the State Election Commission did not consider their party’s complaints on atrocities, violence and police bias.
Further, it did not respond to their pleas of releasing the recorded CCTV footage of the Pulivendula and Vontimitta by-polls.
The YSRC president said their party as well as the YSRC ZPTC candidates will move court seeking the cancellation of the ZPTC by-elections.
On leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi raising the issue of SIR, he pointed out that Rahul did not join them when they raised a similar issue related to variation of 12 per cent between the votes polled and counted in the 2024 general elections. “What happened in Pulivendula and Vontimitta is the real ‘Vote Chori,’” Jagan Mohan Reddy remarked.
