The Telugu Desam Party is confident of securing a comfortable majority in the election to 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Seemandhra .
TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu said the high voter turnout on Wednesday was a clear indication that voters preferred development and exercised their franchise accordingly in favour of the TDP-BJP combine. Efforts of the YSR Congress leaders to ensure low turnout did not materialise as the electorate braved obstacles and cast their decisive vote.
Mr. Naidu who received telephone call from BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi told him that the voting pattern reflected that voters in general, youth in particular, cast their votes in favour of the TDP-BJP alliance candidates across the Seemandhra region.
He urged the Chief Electoral Officer to order repoll in over 40 polling stations where the YSR Congress leaders and activists captured booths and resorted to rigging. In a letter addressed to CEO Bhanwarlal, he urged the election authority to order repoll in 14 booths in Narpala town of Singanamala constituency, Mydukur (10), Jammalamadugu (14), Punganur (5) and Brahmanapalli village in Atmakur constituency of Nellore district. The YSRC leaders and contesting candidates resorted to high handed behaviour by resorting to rigging throwing out the TDP’s polling agents in these polling stations as a result of which the mandate of the people was not reflected.
In an open letter, the TDP president wanted the people to reject parties that were ridiculing democracy and were trying to secure votes offering allurements like liquor and cash to voters. He condemned the alleged attack on Additional SP Appalanaidu and another senior official Rajesh Kumar by the YSR Congress leaders in Jammalamadugu constituency. The attack came out of frustration that the party was set to lose the election. He wanted the poll authority to initiate stringent action against those responsible for attack on police officials on duty and instil confidence among people.
In a separate letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath, Mr. Naidu sought the Election Commission to disqualify Jammalamadugu YSR Congress candidate as the attack on police official on duty amounted to violation of election code. He expressed concern over complaints of non-functioning of electronic voting machines in some constituencies.
