PENUKONDA: Trading of charges against each other by leaders of the Congress and the TDP, visiting people in remote villages and conducting road shows to woo voters all came to an end as the campaigning for by-election to the Penukonda Assembly constituency was concluded on Tuesday.

The two rival parties have now focussed their attention on winning over disgruntled partymen at the village and mandal levels.

If the charges of the two parties against each other on the distribution of money and liquor are any indication, there appears to be large-scale efforts to influence voters with the two `weapons.'

Interestingly, the two parties represented to the Returning Officer and RDO of Penukonda, S.V. Nageswara Rao, alleging that their rivals were distributing money and liquor.

Special checkposts

When contacted, the Superintendent of Police, R.S. Praveen Kumar, said that two persons were arrested on Monday night with unaccounted money in their possession.

Seven special checkposts were set up on the district border with Kolar, Tumkur and Chitradurg districts of Karnataka to prevent smuggling of liquor to influence voters.

The TDP candidate, Paritala Sunita, said at Parvatadevarapalli in Kanaganapalli mandal that the Congress charge of distributing money was baseless. "We are not a position to spend like the ruling Congress. But, I am ready to provide food to people if they are in need of it,'' she said. "In fact, it is the Congress which has been spending in a big way. They spent Rs. 2 crores on Monday night itself."

The Minister alleged at Mamillapalli in Chennekothapalli mandal that the TDP was distributing Rs. 5 crores.

Vehicle intercepted

Meanwhile, the TDP leaders -- C. Ramachandraiah, P. Keshav and Lal Jan Basha - said party activists had intercepted a vehicle belonging to the Congress at Venkatampalli in Chennekothapalli mandal with a person having Rs. 1 lakh.

But, the police had refused to book a case.

Meanwhile, the TDP staged a dharna in front of the Collectorate in protest against the "large-scale distribution of money."

Party activists later submitted a memorandum to the Collector, Y.V. Anuradha.

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