CONFRONTATION: Former Guntur-I MLA S.M. Ziauddin and other TDP leaders being removed from a dharna site in Guntur on Tuesday.

GUNTUR : The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) took out a rally on Tuesday to protest against the alleged undemocratic attitude of the Government in not providing voting rights to many people in villages.

The TDP leaders led by district president Makineni Pedarathaiah and former Guntur-I MLA S.M. Ziauddin staged a dharna blocking traffic for 30 minutes seeking streamlining of all voters' lists for the panchayat elections scheduled for July 29.

"We have constantly raised the issue of the irregularities in the preparation of the voters' lists.

However, the Government has announced the election to the panchayats with the same lists," said Dr. Pedarathaiah.

They also decried the alleged undemocratic methods used by the Congress in manipulating the voters' mandate in Ananthapur district.

Tense moments were witnessed when the police intercepted the rally and snatched an effigy of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy from the demonstrators.

Changes possible

The activists carrying banners shouted slogans for a while before the police took them to Arundelpet police station and sent them away.

A large number of people gathered at the Revenue Divisional Officer's office seeking voting rights, but the officials had clarified on Monday that no change in the voters' lists were made for the coming Panchayat elections, but their names could be added or deleted in the normal course after verification of the seeker's claim sometime next month.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) supporters also criticised the attitude of the officials in not revising the voters' lists and said that many of their sympathisers were turned away on Monday.

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