YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, speaking on Friday, alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had deployed law enforcement and other forms of pressure to influence the outcome of urban local body elections, with the party's MP and Lok Sabha floor leader Peddireddy Midhun Reddy cited among those who had been physically targeted.
Jagan subsequently spoke with Mithun Reddy by telephone, through which details of the incident and updates on his wellbeing were gathered.
In a formal statement, Jagan contended that public discontent with the NDA coalition had grown over its two-and-a-half years in office, and that the alliance's use of violence reflected concern about losing at the polls. He alleged that police stood by without intervening during the attacks, and further claimed that Naidu was deploying government resources to manipulate the electoral process, characterising Andhra Pradesh under Naidu's leadership as having descended into lawlessness.
Speaking to members of the press, Jagan noted that the floor leader of his party's parliamentary group in the Lok Sabha was operating without any security cover. A spokesperson for the YSRCP indicated that the party plans to bring the dispute before the courts, pursuing relief through available legal and constitutional avenues.
Jagan also argued that stationing paramilitary personnel at polling locations was a prerequisite for elections to be conducted without interference or manipulation.
Representatives from YSRCP — including MLCs Lella Appi Reddy and Ruhulla, along with former MLA T J R Sudhakar Babu, Nallamaru Chandrasekhar Reddy, and Yanamala Nagarjuna Yadav — brought their concerns directly to State Election Commission officials, pressing for action to safeguard opposition candidates and ensure their nomination papers were accepted.
Appi Reddy alleged that YSRCP members faced physical confrontations near nomination centres and that paperwork submitted by the party was not being processed by officials, who he said were acting under direction from those in power. Pointing to the assault on Mithun Reddy in his home district as a concrete example, he described the incidents as violence carried out with state backing.
Accusations of intimidation and physical attacks on party candidates across Rayachoti, Tadipatri, Tirupati, and Dachepalli were among the claims the delegation put forward. The delegation conveyed its concerns to SEC nodal officer Rajakumari, pressing for stronger action that would include bringing in Central forces.
Sudhakar Babu argued that the SEC had not acted impartially, and urged the ruling TDP to win public support through an electoral contest rather than through the application of pressure. Among the proposals put forward by the delegation were digital nomination tools and alternative pathways for submitting nomination papers, with the stated aim of supporting transparent and impartial electoral processes.
