YSRC activists thrash BJP candidate at Tirupati corporation office premises

TIRUPATI: YSR Congress party activists chased and thrashed Bharatiya Janata party's (BJP) candidate in broad daylight and right in front of the police at the municipal corporation premises, only to prevent the BJP candidate from filing his nomination papers to contest the municipal corporation polls in the temple city of Tirupati on Friday.
Opposition parties including the Telugu desam, BJP and the Jana sena united chorus and alleged the ruling YSR congress party had made mockery of democracy by preventing the candidates of the opposition parties from filing their nomination papers.
BJP candidate for the 10th ward identified as Saravana arrived at the Municipal corporation office premises on Friday to file his nomination papers. The YSRC activists who were guarding the municipal corporation office gates in large numbers denied him entry in the first place.
But when the BJP's candidate Saravana tried to sneak through them, he was chased and severely thrashed by some of the YSRC activists present there. The YSRC activists tore off his nomination papers and Saravana also lost his mobile phone and other belongings in the melee.
Saravana questioned the poll officials and the police if this is what they called holding free and fair elections. ''It is really unfortunate that a candidate cannot file his nomination papers. Only ruling party candidates can file their nomination papers and contest the elections. Is this what is called democracy," he lamented.
Meanwhile, former Tirupati MLA M Sugunamma who reached the municipal corporation office, after learning about YSRC activists obstructing opposition party candidates from filing their nomination papers, was also humiliated by the ruling party activists.
A party functionary who accompanied Sugunamma was pushed out of the corporation office's gates by the YSRC activists present there.
"The YSRC goons literally shooed us away from the corporation office premises and I was forced to get into my car and leave the premises. The YSRC activists closed down the corporation office entrance gates 45 minutes before the scheduled time only to deny opposition parties the opportunity to file their papers. This high-handedness clearly establishes the fact that YS Jaganmohan Reddy has brought Pulivendula's faction culture to Tirupati and has disturbed its otherwise peaceful environment," she alleged.
Meanwhile, clashes between the ruling party activists and the TDP activists was also reported Punganur on Friday. Vijayamma, the TD candidate contesting from the 6th ward was obstructed by the YSRC activists when she arrived to file her nomination papers.
The TD candidate tried to self-immolate her by pouring petrol onto her body, but the alert police prevented her from doing so and consoled her.
But following arguments, TD and YSRC activists clashed with one another before police intervened and dispersed the two warring groups.
Similar incidents of the ruling party activists obstructing opposition party candidates from filing their nomination papers were reported at several places across the three Rayalaseema districts of Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa on Friday.