Tension gripped Jammalamadugu municipality with police opening two rounds of fire in the air to quell a mob which hurled stones after Telugu Desam Party functionaries led by former Minister P. Ramasubba Reddy demonstrating in front of the municipal office alleging kidnap of a party councillor Mulla Jani by YSR Congress members.
Amidst the din, Jammalamadugu RDO G. Raghunath Reddy, who was presiding officer, announced postponement of the municipal chairman election to Friday. Resenting the postponement of the election despite having quorum, YSRC MLA C. Adinarayana Reddy warned that he would stage a sit-in protest in the municipal meeting hall until the election was conducted.
Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy and Mr. Adinarayana Reddy accused the TDP leaders of resorting to murky politics and making a mockery of democratic procedures by pressurising the official machinery. High drama prevailed since Thursday morning, when the municipal councillors of TDP and YSRC converged on the municipal office for the chairman and vice-chairman election.
Nine councillors of the YSRC and 11 councillors of TDP were elected in the 20-member house. Mr. Avinash Reddy and Mr. Adinarayana Reddy opted to vote in Jammalamadugu municipality as ex-officio members. All of them turned up except the allegedly kidnapped TDP councillor. TDP members lodged a complaint alleging kidnap of the councillor. When asked, Additional SP (Administration) T. Chandrasekhar Reddy said the councillor clarified that he was not kidnapped by anyone.
After the councillors were sworn in, former Minister P. Ramasubba Reddy and nearly 1,500 party activists reached the municipal office and launched a dharna alleging kidnap of the TDP councillor by YSRC functionaries last night. The mob threw stones when police tried to disperse them and the latter fired two rounds in the air and lathicharged the mob.
