Tirupati MP alleges NDA ‘coercion’ against YSRCP nominees, seeks SEC action

Tirupati MP Maddila Gurumoorthy has flayed the ruling NDA government for resorting to threatening the YSRCP candidates in the fray to withdraw their nominations.

The MP even complained to the State Election Commission (SEC) about the series of incidents that amounted to alleged coercion of his party candidates in Kaluvoy mandal of Venkatagiri constituency and termed it as ‘unacceptable’.

“The local TDP MLA K. Ramakrishna openly told his cadres at a meeting held on October 19 to prevent YSRCP candidates from filing nominations. I have submitted the video evidence to the SEC and asked the officials to take action”, he told the media on Thursday. The SEC, in turn, directed the State Director General of Police and the Tirupati District Collector to take action, Mr. Gurumoorthy added.

Meanwhile, the YSRCP Venkatagiri constituency convener Nedurumalli Ram Kumar, who was in the thick of action during the nomination phase, was issued house arrest notice on Thursday. The notice insisted him to stay indoors till the evening of October 23 (Friday).

“When the TDP MLA threatened to break the legs of YSRCP nominees, why are you confining me to my home?” Mr. Ram Kumar asked seeking an explanation.

The notice arrived when he was planning to accompany eight candidates who were filing their nominations for MPTC positions in Venkatagiri mandal.

Meanwhile, Joint Collector R. Govinda Rao inspected the nomination filing process for MPTC elections at Venkatagiri and Balayapalle mandals. He checked the condition of the ballot boxes and the storage mechanism adopted at the centres.