PNS | Vijayawada
In a move that promises to intensify the ongoing political tussle in Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Members of Parliament are set to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) with allegations of a false campaign by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) regarding the electoral roll.
The YSRCP delegation is scheduled to meet the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Monday, August 28, at 4:30 PM. Notably, TDP’s national president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, is also slated to meet with the CEC to file a complaint regarding alleged bogus voters in the state.
The YSRCP contends that during the TDP regime between 2014 and 2019, approximately 60 lakh bogus voters were added to the electoral rolls. Following complaints by the YSRCP, the names of 30 lakh such voters were subsequently removed from the lists. YSRCP leaders have accused the TDP of orchestrating a baseless campaign regarding the voter list, despite a decrease in the number of voters compared to 2019. As of March 31, 2023, the voter count, which stood at 3,98,34,776 in 2019, has decreased to 3,97,96,678.
YSRCP’s general secretary and Advisor, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, disclosed that the government is scrutinising approximately 60 lakh votes suspected to be fake or duplicate. He further asserted that Chandrababu Naidu’s allegations, supported by what he termed as “pro-TDP media,” of massive irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls appear to be a conspiracy.
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has called for a comprehensive reassessment to uncover the truth amidst allegations from Chandrababu Naidu and his supporters, who claim that the ruling party removed TDP-supporting voters while including numerous bogus voters in the rolls.
“We will not permit bogus voters to influence the outcome of the 2024 elections,” declared the Chief Minister, as he presented evidence of what he termed ‘large-scale manipulation’ of voter lists during the TDP’s tenure from 2014 to 2019.
