As YCP goons resorted indiscriminate violence at various places of the state, the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Police swing into action. Atleast two MLAs were taken into custody. They are Tenali MLA Annabattuni Shivakumar and Tadipatri MLA Ketireddy Pddareddy.
ECI has directed to keep sitting MLA and Tenali candidate Annabatuni Shivakumar, who allegedly slapped a voter in a polling booth, under house arrest till the polling is over.
When Sivakumar tried to go directly into the polling centre, it was blocked by voters who were waiting to vote. Then he became impatient and slapped the voter in anger. The voter also became furious and was given a return slap. Then MLA supporters beat him indiscriminately.
Witnessing this incident from the central control room at the state secretariat, AP ECI Special Observer Mishra became angry and sought a report. Reacting to this incident, CEO Mukesh Kumar Meena said that a comprehensive investigation has been ordered. He said that they have live webcasting footage from the polling center. He said that the SP of Guntur has been ordered to register a case against the MLA who committed the attack and others.
Meanwhile, Tadipatri became a battlefield. Both sides pelted stones at each other. Two policemen and members of two rival parties were injured in the stone pelting. MLA’s son Harshavardhan Reddy reached the polling booth after being told that there was a clash at the polling booth set up in Om Shanti Nagar Colony.
Later when both TDP and YCP candidates faced each other at that place, two groups pelted stones against each other. On learning this, SP Amit Bardar reached the spot and dispersed both the parties. Later, MLA Ketireddy Peddareddy was taken into custody and taken to the police station.
TDP chief and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed concern over the violence happening in the state during the polling. He blamed that attacks are unchecked in places like Macherla due to the failure of the police.
He deplored the attack on SP’s vehicle in Tadipatri, besides attack on TDP candidate. He lamented that all this is the culmination of YSRCP politics. The rowdy mobs that Jagan nurtured for five years have conspired to reduce polling percentage by creating terror. He asked people to vote fearlessly to end the YCP’s politics of violence.
