Pulivendula, Ontimitta ZPTC By-Election: A Ground Report on Voter Suppression

Tadepalli, August 18: In Pulivendula and Ontimitta, the recent ZPTC by-election has sparked widespread controversy, with voters being suppressed and electoral malpractice. Despite official reports claiming over 70% polling, locals from villages like Nallapareddipalli and Erreballi assert they were systematically barred from voting. Testimonies reveal that outsiders backed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), arrived in vehicles, armed with sticks and knives, to cast votes in place of residents. Police colluded with them, threatening villagers, confiscating voter slips, and even attacking women who attempted to vote.

Residents describe a climate of fear, with rowdies and police intimidating them at polling stations, preventing access, and filing cases against those who resisted. In Erreballi, not a single one of the 600 eligible voters was allowed to cast their vote. Villagers express outrage at claims by TDP leaders, including Education Minister Nara Lokesh, that the election was peaceful, challenging them to swear to the fairness of the process. The absence of indelible ink on voters’ fingers underscores their claim that their votes were stolen.

These testimonials highlight a significant gap between the propagated narrative of a democratic win and the ground reality of disenfranchisement, raising serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process in Pulivendula and Ontimitta