Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

TDP seeks special security for polling agents

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) petitioned the Election Commission on Wednesday seeking special security for the polling agents in Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly constituencies.

The party said a major factor inhibiting the free and fair poll was not allowing the agents to function in the polling booths by influential leaders. They were being threatened with dire consequences. After the elections too, there was no security to the agents. In the 2009 elections, more than 90 per cent of votes were polled in favour of Congress candidate in 78 polling booths, and over 80 per cent in122 booths, indicating how the agents were “managed”. The petitions were presented to the Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi by TDP Member of Parliament Nama Nageswara Rao in Delhi and to the Chief Electoral Officer, Bhanwar Lal here by party legislator M. Narasimhulu.

They accused YSR Congress candidate Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy of blatant misuse of the Saakshi newspaper and the TV channel owned by him, bringing back the phenomenon of ‘paid news”. Newspaper and the TV channel were propagating about him and his family and denigrating all other parties. The difference between ‘advertisement' and ‘news programme' was totally blurred.

Other demands included deployment of special forces in sensitive constituencies, installation of CC TV/online cameras in sensitive polling stations and appointment of senior officers to supervise election process.

They also feared misuse of official machinery by the Congress as a large number of Ministers were deployed ostensibly for campaign.

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