‘Electoral Machinery Not Allowed To Function Independently’: Chandrababu Naidu Reaches EC Against YSRCP

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the electoral machinery is not being allowed to function independently due to political pressure by YSRCP leaders.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu arrives at the office of Election Commission in New Delhi ( Image Source :PTI )

Telugu Desam Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Leader of Opposition, N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday reached the office of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi and submitted a letter against the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party. In his letter, the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister alleged that the electoral machinery is not being allowed to function independently due to political pressure by YSRCP leaders. He urged the Election Commission to initiate steps to ensure free and fair elections in 2024, reported ANI. 

"The electoral machinery is not allowed to function independently due to political pressures of the ruling YSRCP leaders and request to initiate steps to ensure free electoral rolls and take adequate steps for conducting free and fair elections in 2024," said the TDP supremo. 

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Naidu said he gave clear presentations on how the Andhra government is violating the election process. 

"All three members with senior officers were present there. I gave clear presentations on how the Andhra Pradesh government is violating the election process and how they are destroying the system of democracy. Now, they want to destabilise the political system," he said. 

"I told the election commission tomorrow I want to file an affidavit. I have to ask the BJP under RTI how many cases are pending on me...They want to terrorise political activists... State bureaucracy is terrorised...," he added. 

On the other hand, a delegation of YSRCP leaders led by party leader Vijaysai Reddy also arrived at the Election Commission’s office. 

"TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu is making false allegations. We have recommended ECI to remove all bogus entries and ensure free and fair polls in Andhra Pradesh in 2024. We also gave a presentation on how bogus entries were made during the tenure of Chandrababu Naidu," Reddy told the media. 

Naidu’s visit to the Election Commission’s office comes weeks after he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating how the state was suffering unprecedented and harrowing times” due to the “unconstitutional” acts of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. 

 In his 10-page letter to PM Modi, Naidu made a slew of allegations against CM Reddy and sought his intervention in setting the state “back to order”. 

“Over five crore Telugu people and the state of AP have been going through unprecedented and most harrowing times since May 2019 on account of anti-democratic and unconstitutional acts unleashed with unsound mind by Reddy,” Naidu wrote.

Naidu alleged that the “democracy was under attack” in the state citing alleged incidents of violence and autocracy. 

The TDP chief wrote about the alleged destruction of Constitutional institutions, and said how the attacks on judiciary and central agencies have become the order of the day.

Citing examples, Naidu said that the YSRCP government is allegedly intimidating the legislature, judiciary and executive.