BJP State president Somu Veerraju on Sunday demanded that the byelection to the Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency conducted on Saturday be cancelled and a repoll held as bogus votes were cast on a large scale.
Addressing the media here, Mr. Veerraju alleged that the Ministers and YSRCP leaders had violated the Model Code of Conduct right under the nose of the officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the security forces.
Mr. Veerraju also alleged that the police had remained mute spectators to the “massive irregularities” and that the CRPF personnel were not seen around.
Mr. Veerraju further alleged that the voters were threatened by the volunteers, and party agents were silenced through different means by the ruling party leaders.
“Several Ministers, MLAs and chairpersons of various corporations camped in the temple town to manipulate the election, and they succeeded in it to a major extent as the police kept quiet. The election observer, Dinesh Patel, too seemed to have not bothered much,” Mr. Veerraju alleged.
Minister P. Ramachandra Reddy addressed the media even as the election was under way, the BJP leader alleged.
Mr. Ramachandra Reddy’s claim that the bogus voters, who were first exposed by the BJP and the TDP later, were on a pilgrimage to the abode of Lord Venkateswara turned out to be lies as the ‘sarva darshan’ had been suspended by the TTD a few days ago, Mr. Veerraju said.
The BJP leader alleged the borders of Tirupati constituency had not been sealed and those who dared to question the irregularities were implicated in false cases.
The BJP had lodged complaints in all the Assembly segments in the parliamentary constituency and would take the irregularities to the ECI’s notice, he said.
