YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and K. Narayanaswamy, TTD chairman and Chittoor district in-charge Y.V. Subba Reddy, Ministers Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and Mekapati Gowtham Reddy among others huddled in a meeting in Tirupati on Saturday to discuss ways and means to proceed ahead in the elections.
The meeting was necessitated by the State Election Commission’s (SEC) ‘tough stand’ on ensuring transparency and fairness in the election process vis - a - vis 'unanimous elections'.
The YSRCP leadership wondered if unanimity is a welcome sign in a democracy or not. “Electing candidates unanimously is a common phenomenon right from the President to the Panchayat level, but this time the SEC seems to have some reservations”, fumed party veteran Y.V. Subba Reddy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Narayanaswamy accused the SEC of toeing the TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu’s line and pointed out that unanimous elections would ensure unity and camaraderie in villages.
Mr. Ramachandra Reddy, who came under fire for his controversial diktat to the official machinery on Friday, accused the officials of not extending cooperation to the candidates supported by the ruling party, which he said was ‘out of fear’ for the SEC.
“The district officials are unduly scared with the influence of SEC and hence are hesitant to discharge their duties. I urge them to stay committed to their duty”, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Similarly, MLA R.K. Roja accused the SEC of trying to breathe life into the TDP, which she said, had been given ‘a decent burial’ by the voters in the 2019 general elections.
She felt that the SEC was deliberately blowing non-issues out of proportion in a bid to corner the government.
“Mr. Ramesh Kumar visited a couple of villages in his own Guntur district, where the withdrawn candidates clarified to him that they had voluntarily opted out of the race for the benefit of the village. What will he say now?”, Ms. Roja demanded.