YSRCP leaders staged a protest outside the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission office on Thursday over alleged obstructions to nominations for ZPTC and MPTC elections. The party accused Telugu Desam Party (TDP) workers of preventing opposition candidates from filing nominations with alleged police complicity and demanded compliance with Supreme Court directions and protection for candidates.
The protest began after the delegation was initially denied an appointment with State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha. It ended after the leaders were given a meeting slot.
YSRCP leaders alleged that their candidates had been obstructed at several locations during the nomination process. According to the party, TDP workers, allegedly acting in collusion with the police, prevented opposition candidates from filing their nomination papers.
The party also alleged that some candidates had been subjected to illegal arrests and detention, while individuals who arrived to submit nomination papers had been attacked.
YSRCP leaders approached the State Election Commission for the second consecutive day on Thursday to present their complaints and seek intervention to ensure candidates could participate in the election process. The delegation staged a protest outside the commission's office after initially failing to secure an appointment with Punetha. The protest ended after a meeting was scheduled.
YSRCP MLC Lella Appi Reddy told the media that the party had approached the Supreme Court over allegations that its candidates were being prevented from filing nominations. According to Reddy, the court had directed that candidates filing nominations be provided with security. However, complaints of harassment of party candidates had continued to emerge, he said.
Reddy claimed that nomination papers had been snatched and torn at some locations. He also referred to an alleged incident in Chittoor in which B-forms associated with the party's authorised candidates for municipal elections were reportedly torn. A B-form is a document issued by a political party to authorise a candidate.
Amid the dispute over the nomination process, the Supreme Court on October 21 directed the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission to consider candidates' complaints and the available documentary and electronic evidence.
The court asked the commission to defer publication of the final list of candidates until October 25. It also directed the commission to decide on requests to extend the nomination deadline in areas where candidates had been unable to file their papers because of law-and-order problems.
The court further directed the state's Director General of Police to ensure the security of candidates and nomination centres. The directions do not establish that all allegations made by the YSRCP have been proven. The commission is required to make its decisions after examining the complaints and available evidence.
On October 22, the State Election Commission decided to provide an additional opportunity to file nominations in four urban local bodies. According to the commission's notification, nominations in the relevant areas can be submitted on October 23 and 24 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The arrangement is intended to provide an opportunity to candidates who were previously unable to submit their nomination papers because of alleged threats, attacks or other adverse circumstances.
The next steps will depend on the reports from the relevant authorities and the available evidence concerning the YSRCP's complaints and the commission's decisions. The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing in the matter for October 27.
