Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that up to 30% of the voters enrolled for the MLC elections for the graduate and teacher constituencies are bogus, and that the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is bribing the electorate having realised that achieving a fair victory is an uphill task.
In an open letter to the people on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said that the TDP had detected 7,000 bogus voters in Tirupati city alone (East Rayalaseema constituency) and more than 5,000 in the North Andhra districts.
The TDP had entered into an understanding with the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) to keep the anti-YSRCP votes intact in the elections to the graduate constituencies, Mr. Naidu said, requesting the people to cast their first preference vote to the TDP and give second preference vote to the PDF.
He exhorted the voters to defeat the YSRCP before delivering a final blow in the general elections scheduled to be held early next year.
Alleging that the YSRCP had resorted to all possible dubious means to influence the voters, Mr. Naidu said there were reports of luring the voters by giving them money and silver coins.
“The TDP government had given a fitment of 43% to the employees, and salaries used to be paid to them on the first of every month.”N. Chandrababu NaiduTDP national president
The TDP government, he said, had attracted investments and created employment on a large scale after coming to power in 2014, by overcoming many hurdles, which mainly included the devastating impact of bifurcation. A fitment of 43% had been given to the employees and salaries used to be paid to them on the first of every month, Mr. Naidu said.
All this was in sharp contrast to the chaos into which the State plunged due to the policies of the YSRCP government, he added.
Mr. Naidu recalled that the YSRCP had won the elections to the local bodies two years ago by committing irregularities and intimidating the contestants, many of whom were prevented from filing nominations, and voters. It was trying to do the same in the MLC elections.
“A person who is involved in a spurious liquor case and is now out on bail has been fielded by the YSRCP as a candidate in the East Rayalaseema Graduate constituency. This speaks volumes of the kind of leaders being promoted by the YSRCP,” Mr. Naidu said.
Published - March 11, 2023 06:12 pm IST
