Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Andhra Pradesh unit president K. Atchannaidu on August 7 (Monday) wrote a letter to Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena, seeking action against Animal Husbandry Minister Seediri Appala Raju for ‘inciting’ the YSRCP cadres to get the names of TDP supporters in his constituency (Palasa) deleted from the electoral rolls.
Mr. Atchannaidu, in his letter, mentioned that a video in which Mr. Appala Raju was seen provoking the YSRCP activists to have the names of TDP supporters removed from the electoral rolls went viral. “It was the revelation of a similar practice followed by YSRCP cadres in all the districts, which resulted in the deletion of 20.50 lakh votes during the revision of electoral rolls,” the TDP leader alleged.
The officials concerned were being forced to act in a biased manner and commit those irregularities, which amounted to the violation of the Representation of People Act, 1950.
Mr. Atchannaidu requested the CEO to provide a break-up of the data related to deletions done with effect from January 1, 2023 to check the veracity of the ‘reasons for deletion’ thereby helping in cleaning the electoral rolls, and to initiate action against the Minister for ‘making a mockery’ of the RP Act and the relevant ECI guidelines.
