Ambati predicts YSRC to sweep by-polls

Alleging that the ruling Congress has resorted to large scale misuse of official machinery and has blatantly distributed cash even while polling was going on, YSR Congress Party has said that it will lodge a complaint with the Election Commission and expressed confidence that the large turn-out clearly suggests that people are looking for a change.

“Congress has misused power to the maximum extent possible in every way possible besides having a tacit tie up with main opposition TDP. Cash was distributed openly to voters who were standing in queue and the Congress Party Nellore Lok Sabha candidate was seen going around polling booths seeking support which is gross violation of election code,” party spokesperson Ambati Rambabu told reporters here.

“We will write to the Election Commission about the violations and flagrant misuse of power including the partisan attitude of police force and about the deliberate deletion of names from the voters list in many places which were identified as YSRC stronghold,” he said.

Party cadre was detained at many places and the movement of YSRC leaders was restricted and some of them were held under house arrest.

“In many areas people had voter identity cards but their names were removed from the voters list. Such cases were seen in areas where the party has a strong base. Congress candidate for the Nellore LokSabha seat was hopping from one polling booth to the other but police were looking the other way. We will bring this to the notice of the Election Commission seeking his disqualification,” he said.

The money power has come into full play at Tirupati and at many places as the ruling party workers distributed cash to the voters who were in the queue and the police remained as mere spectators. The same police had shown highhandedness when it came to YSR Congress workers, he said.

YSRC Ongole candidate Balneni Srinivasa Reddy was attacked and journalist of whisked away at Veldurthi. Congress and TDP had come to an understanding to mutually support each other to fight YSR Congress, however “we are going to sweep the polls despite all the hindrances as people are with us,” he said.

Congress tired all the tricks in trade, first it arrested YS Jaganmohan Reddy and deprived him of an opportunity to campaign, next it thought of orchestrating law and order trouble to stall the elections but that ploy did not work and the polls were held.  Negative campaigning of the ruling party and main opposition TDP centred round Jagan as they have nothing to offer to the electorate.

With YS Jagan Mohan Reddy being cynosure of the by-polls and taking into account the large turnout into consideration, it is more than obvious that YSR Congress will be getting an overwhelming mandate, he said.