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YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has questioned whether democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law were being upheld in Andhra Pradesh, alleging that recent incidents during the municipal election nomination process were shocking.
He alleged that opposition candidates were being prevented from filing nominations, attacked and threatened. He accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of resorting to political violence and alleged that the State Election Commission was functioning in favour of the ruling party. Jagan alleged that the entire election process was being conducted irregularly, claiming that reservations were allocated arbitrarily, wards and divisions were altered at will, and only three days were provided for filing nominations. He further alleged that officials were refusing to accept nomination papers and that candidates were facing threats and illegal cases. He questioned why attacks and alleged attempts on the lives of candidates were taking place if the ruling coalition enjoyed public support. He also questioned reports of police firing and alleged that police personnel were failing to protect opposition candidates. Jagan alleged that although the TDP, Jana Sena and BJP were contesting together, TDP candidates were being fielded under the banners of its alliance partners. He accused Chandrababu Naidu of misusing official machinery and alleged that police were not taking action against TDP leaders carrying weapons or those allegedly attacking YSRCP candidates. He questioned the role of the State Election Commission and its officials, alleging that the nomination process was taking place without proper enforcement of election rules. Jagan also criticised the government over its Super Six promises, alleging that the ruling coalition had failed to fulfil its commitments and was resorting to electoral irregularities out of fear of public backlash. He questioned the appointment of State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha, alleging that his previous tenure as Chief Secretary under Chandrababu Naidu raised concerns about the commission's impartiality. Referring to the alleged attack on YSRCP MP PV Mithun Reddy, Jagan claimed that the incident was serious, adding that personnel providing CRPF security were also injured. He alleged that CRPF personnel fired warning shots into the air to control the situation involving TDP supporters. Jagan questioned how an attack could take place on a Member of Parliament who is also the Lok Sabha floor leader of the YSRCP and asked what had happened to the state's police system. (ANI)
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