AP local body polls: TDP supporters allegedly tear up YSRCP nomination papers

Multiple allegations of ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members forcefully obstructing opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) candidates from filing nominations have surfaced yet again during the ongoing local body election process in Andhra Pradesh.  

A video from Penukonda in Sri Sathya Sai district showed a man, whom the YSRCP identified as TDP leader Subba Reddy, entering the election officer’s room, snatching an Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) member nomination form and tearing it in front of police personnel. Subba is purportedly a close aide of minister and Penukonda MLA S Savitha. 

The incident allegedly occurred on October 21, the first day of nominations for MPTC and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) polls.

In the video, the TDP member can be heard insisting that the form he tore belonged to a member of his own party, and trying to move past police personnel who stopped him and said his conduct wasn’t right. 

Tensions were also reported from Kadapa, Chittoor, Palnadu, Tirupati, and other parts of the state, where TDP members allegedly intimidated YSRCP candidates and tore their nomination papers. 

The state witnessed tensions earlier during October 16 to 18, when nominations were filed for urban local bodies (ULBs). YSRCP had alleged that many of its candidates were stopped from filing nominations by TDP members through threats and intimidation. 

The party approached the Supreme Court, which directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to defer publishing the final list of ULB candidates by four days, and meanwhile decide on the party’s request to extend the nomination deadline for ULBs in areas where candidates were allegedly prevented from filing their papers due to violence. 

As a result, the SEC on October 21 paused the election process across all 100 ULBs in the state, until it can examine reports from district collectors, district election authorities, police commissioners and superintendents of police.

Meanwhile, the coalition of TDP, BJP, and Jana Sena issued a joint statement from Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and state BJP chief PVN Madhav, blaming YSRCP for the violence across the state. The statement alleged that YSRCP had provoked violence by attacking police personnel.