Amid the allegations of threat and intimidation by the village and ward volunteers in the recently held local body elections, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has released a cellphone number for the party workers and general public to share proof of such high-handed acts.
At the TDP foundation day celebrations here on Monday, party State president K. Atchannaidu launched the cellphone number (7557557744) and urged the workers to send video footage, audio clips of such instances of threats and intimidation.
He promised that the party would follow up the compliants at the appropriate level.
“The ward and village volunteers have exceeded all tolerable limits and become an unwanted intervention in the field level governance. The YSRCP is misusing this network to settle score with the political rivals. The volunteers have no right to intimidate voters by saying that their ration cards and pensions would be cancelled if they did not vote for the ruling party,” he said.
‘Suitable remuneration’
The TDP will give ‘suitable remuneration’ to those sending audio-visual proof of the ‘atrocities’ of the volunteers.
Former MLA M. Sugunamma dubbed the recently-held civic polls to Tirupati as ‘selection’.
“The voters hardly had any say in the entire process as the candidates were elected unanimously in half the divisions,” she alleged and appealed to the voters to exercise their franchise in favour of TDP candidate Panabaka Lakshmi.
