The Telugu Desam Party on Friday alleged large-scale irregularities in the Kadapa by-elections and urged Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal to take remedial measures to check the electoral malpractices resorted to by the ruling party.
A delegation of the TDP which met the CEO at his chambers at the Secretariat said that the Congress and YSR Congress Party leaders were distributing cash freely to influence the voters. The ruling party was also misusing the official machinery to promote their campaign to influence the voters indiscriminately, they alleged.
The delegation was led by General Secretary P Chandrashekar, TDLP Deputy Floor Leader M Narasimhulu and senior leader Kala Venkata Rao.
The team submitted a letter of complaints to the CEO and later told media persons that the YSR Congress was transporting two lakh ceiling fans, their election symbol, for distribution in the Kadapa district. Besides, the YSR Congress was seen releasing Scorpios and other vehicles intended for distribution in the district.
The TDP team also alleged that the Sakshi channel vehicles were pressed into service for campaign work. Cash flow was quite abundant through vehicles – ambulances, water tankers, they charged.
An all-party meeting was suggested to arrive at a consensus on measures to be taken to restore public confidence to ensure free and fair by-polls.
The TDP delegation asked for allowing polling agents from outside the constituencies as a special case to introduce web-casting of election process for online monitoring.