Ballot Box Row: YCP MLC Behind Bars

YSR Congress Party leader and MLC Lella Appi Reddy and others were arrested in Guntur in the early hours of Friday when they staged a protest over an official allegedly 'diverting' a ballot box while transporting it to the strong room after the polling for MPTC and ZPTC elections on Thursday.

YSRCP claimed that its leaders caught the official red-handed while he was "taking the ballot box to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders" on Thursday night.

The YSRCP leaders said after polling concluded on Thursday in Vengalayapalem, an election official diverted a ballot box while transporting it to the strong room, unloading it at Nallapadu Centre and taking it aside. A YSRCP candidate allegedly caught the official red-handed while the ballot box was being taken away towards the TDP leaders.

YSRCP leaders staged a two-hour dharna at Nallapadu. MLC Lella Appi Reddy also reached there and joined the protest.

The police used mild force to disperse the protesters and arrested Appi Reddy and others on the allegation that they obstructed the election staff and took the ballot box into their custody.

They were taken to Nallapadu Police Station, where a case was registered against them. The polling official claimed that the ballot box was being shifted to another vehicle, but YSRCP leaders snatched it.

Meanwhile, police in Anantapur district registered a case against 60 people in connection with an incident in which the ballot box was damaged. The incident had occurred at a polling centre at Kuderu.

The accused had entered the polling centre, taken away the ballot box and damaged it. On a complaint by polling officials, police registered non-bailable cases against 60 people.

A police officer said the accused have been identified and efforts were on to arrest them. Another case was registered against five people for obstructing polling staff from doing their duty.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported during the polling for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) across the state on Thursday.

According to Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta, 37 incidents were reported from 15 districts. He asked the police official to use available technology to identify those responsible and initiate strict legal action against anyone involved in electrical malpractices or disrupting the poll process.