Pulivendula & Ontimitta by-elections cited as ‘historic examples’ of electoral murder; Calls for cancellation, fresh polls under central forces
In a scathing press briefing, YSR Congress Party President and former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy held up the Pulivendula Rural and Ontimitta ZPTC by-elections as “the most blatant destruction of democracy” ever witnessed in Andhra Pradesh.
Polling without an agent, A First in State History
He stated that in Pulivendula Rural, all 15 polling booths—covering 10,600 votes—were run without a single YSRCP booth agent present. “Our agents’ Form 12 authorisations were snatched and torn up by police and TDP workers before polling began,” Jagan said. “Without agents, without transparency—can you even call this an election?”
Police, Outsiders & Ministers Orchestrating Rigging
Jagan citied the ruling TDP of importing thousands of outsiders to intimidate voters, shifting polling stations between villages to create confusion, and deploying 700 police personnel not for security, but for voter terrorisation.
Ministers and MLAs, he claimed, “divided up villages like mafia territories”:
● Minister Savitha in Erraballe
● MLA Adinarayana Reddy in Nallapureddipalle
● MLA Putta Chaitanya in E. Kothapalle
● TDP leader B. Tech Ravi in Kanampalle
Citing Videos, he said, showed fake voting by non-constituency TDP workers right in front of Collector Cherukuri Sridhar and other officers, with no action taken.
“Handpicked” Police Machinery
The former CM named DIG Koya Praveen—related to TDP Rajya Sabha MP Garikapati Rammohan Rao—as the central figure in orchestrating the booth capture, accusing him of running illegal collections, sand and liquor rackets, and appointing pliant police officers to critical posts.
“From DIG to constables, the force was tailored to serve Chandrababu’s electoral mafia,” Jagan charged. “These aren’t elections—they are organised crimes in uniform.”
Violence, Threats, and Women Blocked from Voting
Jagan showed video evidence of:
● Women agents were dragged out and assaulted
● Voter slips snatched and misused by TDP cadres
● Booths were captured from 4 AM by lathi-wielding outsiders
● Women in Kanampalle pleading with police to be allowed to vote, even holding their feet in protest
He stated that even YSRCP’s Pulivendula candidate Hemant Reddy was confined to his home by police-TDP collusion.
Ontimitta: Minister’s Rowdyism
In Ontimitta, Jagan cited Minister Ramprasad Reddy of personally dragging and kicking YSRCP agents in Chinnakothapalle village. “If you have confidence in your governance, why this fear of a fair vote?” he asked Chandrababu Naidu.
Demand for Fresh Polls Under Central Forces
Jagan demanded the immediate cancellation of both by-elections and fresh polls under central security. “If democracy is not protected now, we are laying the foundation for dangerous forces like Naxalism to rise again,” he warned.
He vowed to take the fight to court, armed with videos, eyewitness accounts, and the testimony of candidates.
Congress & BJP Silence Called Out
Jagan also questioned the silence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and state in-charge Manickam Tagore, accusing them of shielding Chandrababu due to a “hotline” political understanding with TDP and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy.
Quote of the Day:
“Chandrababu Naidu, may this be the last election of your life. The poisonous seeds you sow today will grow into a tree that will haunt you tomorrow.” – Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
