BJP State president Kanna Lakshminarayana on Monday urged Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan to cancel the completed part of local body elections (nominations, withdrawals and unanimous declarations), saying giving them legal validity would be disastrous for the democratic fabric of the State and the country.
In a letter, he said the ruling party leaders got their candidates unanimously declared through blackmail and abuse of political power and that he had taken the violations of Model Code of Conduct and violent incidents to the notice of the State Election Commissioner through several representations.
He said candidates belonging to the opposition parties were not allowed to file nominations at many places.
Besides, government officials were abused by the ruling party leaders, nomination papers were snatched and there were many kidnaps.
He alleged that the police joined hands with YSR Congress Party leaders. Local body elections were never so vitiated in since 1956, Mr. Lakshminarayana observed, appealing to the Governor to uphold democracy by cancelling the completed part of the elections.
