The Election Commission of India (ECI) on has summoned the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) of Andhra Pradesh to New Delhi to “personally explain” the recent surge in post-poll violence in the state, sources said.
This directive comes as the ECI takes a stringent stance on the failure of the local administration to contain the unrest following the elections.
According to the sources, the Commission has demanded a detailed explanation from the officials regarding the lapses in maintaining law and order and the preemptive measures being implemented to prevent further incidents. The ECI emphasised the continued enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct and the necessity for stringent actions to ensure peace.
The ECI has repeatedly emphasised that there is no place for violence in a democracy and since the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has been personally monitoring the election space to ensure peaceful and violence-free conduct of polls
Earlier on the fourth phase of Lok Sabha election day, May 13, YSRCP MLA from Tenali, Annabattula Shivakumar, triggered controversy for allegedly hitting a voter standing in a queue at a polling booth in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district. He claimed that the man was drunk, made casteist remarks against him and was abusing him and his wife.
Meanwhile, YSRCP and TDP workers clashed near Narasaraopet Municipal High School polling station in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh and police fired rubber bullets to control the situation here on Monday.
Polling for all 175 seats of the State Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh was held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls on Monday.
The ruling YSRCP is contesting on all 175 seats, eyeing another term, while as part of a seat-sharing arrangement among NDA partners, TDP is contesting on 144 assembly seats, Jana Sena on 21 and BJP on 10.
During the 2019 elections, YSRCP registered a landslide victory in Andhra Pradesh, winning 151 of the 175 seats in the Assembly, dethroning the TDP government.
(ANI)