Andhra: Jagan to move Supreme Court again over local body polls obstruction

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YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday, October 23, said the party would return to the Supreme Court with fresh evidence alleging that its candidates continued to face obstruction in the urban local body elections despite the court’s intervention.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s central office in Tadepalli, Jagan said the State Election Commission’s decision to reopen nominations in four urban local bodies had failed to address the wider problem of candidates being prevented from filing their papers.

On October 21, the Supreme Court directed the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) to decide by the following day on the YSRCP’s request for an extension of the nomination deadline in areas where alleged violence had prevented candidates from filing nominations. The SEC subsequently paused the election process in 100 urban local bodies. On October 22, it issued a separate notification allowing nominations for two additional days, October 23 and 24, in Kadapa, Tirupati, Rajampet and Mydukur.

Jagan argued that the limited reopening of nominations had left the party unable to contest in several wards. In Rajampet municipality, which has 32 wards, the YSRCP could field candidates in only 14, he said. While candidates had initially been able to contest in three wards, the subsequent opportunity to file nominations in 11 more had left 18 wards out of the party’s reach.

In Kadapa, the SEC had permitted fresh nominations in only 11 of the 66 wards. With candidates already in the fray in two wards, the party would be able to contest in just 13, Jagan said. In Tirupati, the extension covered the remaining 18 wards, while nominations were reopened across all wards in Mydukur.

“Attacks on ZPTC and MPTC candidates were reported from Gorantla, Dharmavaram, V. Kota, Chittoor, GD Nellore, Tadimarri, Kanigiri, Dachepalli, Punganur, Jammalamadugu among other places. Nominations were manipulated at other places,” Jagan alleged.

The former Chief Minister said the party had submitted evidence of alleged electoral irregularities to the Governor, the SEC and the Supreme Court. He urged the SEC to obtain the YSRCP’s complete candidate list, along with the A and B forms issued to nominees, and ensure that eligible candidates were allowed to contest.

The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has accused the YSRCP of misrepresenting the Supreme Court’s order, while the State government has argued that the opposition also contributed to the disturbances.