A delegation of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) comprising its general secretary Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, legal cell general secretary Gudapati Lakshmi Narayana and Guntur market yard former chairman Mannava Subba Rao submitted a memorandum to Additional Chief Electoral Officer M.N. Harendhira Prasad, seeking action by the Election Commission of India (ECI) against Government Adviser and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, for reportedly telling the party’s chief election agents to choose counting agents who are willing to violate rules and can subdue agents of rival political parties.
The TDP leaders said it was a highly provocative statement by Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy which would vitiate the process of counting on June 4. It should not be taken lightly in the backdrop of the violence that occurred during the election period, they said.
Further, the TDP leaders said it was apprehended that the Returning Officers (ROs) have not contemplated setting up of CCTV cameras at the places earmarked for the seating of counting agents, and that the YSRCP agents could go to any extent to disturb the counting especially when margins were likely to be close.
Therefore, they requested the ECI to take appropriate action against Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy and also instruct the ROs of all constituencies to make arrangements for covering the entire areas where counting would be done, with CCTV cameras. Meanwhile, Mr. Lakshmi Narayana lodged a complaint in the Tadepalli police station against Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy for the alleged statement and requested that a criminal case be registered against him under Sections.123(2) and (3) and 125 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 and Sections 153-A, 171-F, 171-J and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code.
