The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Keshava Rao pleads for fair poll in Penukonda

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Keshava Rao pleads for fair poll in Penukonda

Special Correspondent

Three-member Congress team submits memorandum to CEO

FAIR AND SQUARE: K. Keshava Rao, APCC president, and other leaders presenting a memorandum to M. Narayana Rao, Chief Electoral Officer, at Secretariat in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president, K. Keshava Rao, on Tuesday urged the election authorities to deploy additional forces and take suitable measures to ensure free and fair polling in the Penukonda Assembly constituency since the Telugu Desam Party had created a scare.

The Congress leader led a delegation to the Chief Electoral Officer, M. Narayana Rao, and submitted a memorandum. The delegation, consisting of G. Venkata Reddy and A. Ramanarayana Reddy, told the CEO that the Telugu Desam was working in tandem with the Re-organisation Committee (ROC), an underground outfit supplying weapons to the latter. The ROC was indulging in violence and spreading terror among voters.

Campaign of violence

Dr. Keshava Rao alleged that at least three prominent Telugu Desam leaders of Penukonda were associated with the ROC while Pothanna Suresh, said to be its chief, maintained close liaison with the party top leadership. Citing instances of violence indulged in by the ROC, he referred to how an MPTC member was done to death by ROC elements recently.

The APCC president said that Congress sympathisers in the area had received threat calls from ROC elements, and this could be verified from the Central election observers or the police. Of late, the Telugu Desam had been targeting the police with a view to establishing its might in the constituency by diverting attention of the election authorities. Sincere police officers became victims of transfers in the process.

Dr. Keshava Rao wanted patrolling undertaken in villages one or two days prior to the polling and posting of at least six policemen at each polling station to instil confidence among the weaker section. Mr. Narayana Rao said additional Central forces had already been deployed in the area.

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