Jagan Complains to Andhra Governor Against Naidu, Seeks Additional Security in Strong Rooms

Hyderabad: YSR Congress chief and Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for his rhetoric against the Election Commission and complaints about malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVM) in the elections on April 11.

Reddy sought Governor ESL Narasimhan’s intervention to stop the attacks on his party cadres and asked him to take action against Naidu for ‘misusing’ official machinery.

"We have lodged a complaint with the governor about Naidu, who had appointed his own henchmen in crucial places to help the TDP in every possible way during the elections and resort to post-poll violence. We have sought Narasimhan’s intervention to put the issue under check,” Reddy told reporters at the Raj Bhavan here, after submitting a memorandum to the governor.

“Naidu’s policemen are filing cases against YSRC leaders, while TDP cadres are attacking our workers,” he said.

The YSRC leader also expressed surprise on why only Naidu was raising doubts about the functioning of EVMs and demanding VVPATs though 80% voters were satisfied with their working.

Terming Naidu a ‘demon’, Reddy said the Andhra CM deceived people and encouraged corruption.

Reddy added that he too would have questioned the EC if he had doubts about the EVMs. “If I found that upon pressing the button of a certain symbol, the vote was going to the TDP’s cycle symbol, then I too would have raised the issue,” he said.

The YSRC president said he had urged the governor to instruct the chief secretary against the misuse of powers by Naidu, while claiming that the TDP chief was making a hue and cry on the EVMs only to prepare a ground for his impending defeat.

“People have said “Bye bye Babu,” Reddy said.

The YSRC chief demanded that strong rooms where the EVMs were kept at various places be guarded by para-military forces, citing an incident in Machilipatnam where some people allegedly broke open the room and attempted to tamper with the EVMs.

He took a dig at former state assembly speaker Kodeal Sivaprasada Rao for violating the poll code by entering the Inimetla polling station in Sattenapalli Assembly constituency.