YSRCP demands suspension of by-election

Vijayawada, August 2: YSRCP has urged the State Election Commissioner (SEC) to suspend the Manindram MPTC by-election in Kuppam, Chittoor district, citing violence by TDP supporters. A YSRCP delegation, led by MLC Lella Appi Reddy and former MLA Malladi Vishnu, met the SEC in Vijayawada, reporting that TDP activists forcibly seized nomination papers from YSRCP’s Dalit woman candidate, Sridevi, in Kuppam, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s constituency. The incident occurred in the presence of police, who failed to act or register Sridevi’s complaint.

Addressing the media, Appi Reddy condemned the attack as an assault on democracy and women’s rights, stating, “Chandrababu claims to respect women, yet a Dalit woman was humiliated in his constituency. We demand the by-election’s suspension.” Malladi Vishnu highlighted a pattern of electoral misconduct by the ruling coalition of suppressing opposition candidates. The delegation, including Vijayawada Mayor Bhagyalakshmi and other party leaders, demanded online nominations and CCTV-monitored polling for transparency. YSRCP warned that complicit officials would face future accountability, emphasizing the need for fair elections.