A candidate of Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), who was injured in a scuffle last week, came in an ambulance to file his nomination papers on Friday. Thikka Reddy, TDP candidate from Mantralayam Assembly constituency in Kurnool district, reached the office of the Returning Officer in an ambulance. He was taken inside the building on a stretcher to enable him to submit his nomination papers.
Thikka Reddy sustained a bullet injury in his leg when his security guard opened fire in the air to save him during a scuffle with YSRCP candidate and outgoing MLA Balanagi Reddy on March 16. An Assistant Sub-Inspector also suffered bullet injuries.
The incident occurred when the YSRCP leader and his son tried to stop Thikka Reddy from hoisting the TDP flag in Khaggal village. In an attempt to disperse the mob, the TDP candidate's security guard opened fire in the air and it accidentally injured the TDP leader and the police officer.
The duo were rushed to the Kurnool government hospital for treatment and the police beefed up security in the region to prevent further clashes.
Kurnool has traditionally been a stronghold of the YSRCP, and TDP has been trying to make inroads in the district. In the 2014 elections, YSRCP swept the Kurnool district by winning two Parliament seats and 11 out of 14 Assembly seats.
Condemning the incident at the time, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh said that the YSRCP ‘rowdies’ were preventing them from campaigning. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “It is a democratic right of an individual to campaign freely, but YSRCP rowdies have been objecting to it.”
Elections to the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state are scheduled on April 11.
IANS inputs