Chandragiri YSRC in-charge refutes bogus votes' claim by TD chief

Tirupati: Chairman of the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) and Chandragiri YSRC in-charge, Chevireddy Mohith Reddy, has rebutted the allegations from TD chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu that names of one lakh bogus voters have been registered in the Chandragiri constituency.

Mohith Reddy, addressing the media here on Tuesday, said a seasoned politician like Naidu should not make accusations without verifying the facts. Referring to Naidu as a "grandfather," Mohith Reddy said, Naidu and my grandfather had been childhood friends, they studied together.”

The YSRC leader cited electoral data to counter Naidu's charge. He said that during the 2019 elections, when Chandrababu was the CM, the total votes in Chandragiri were 2,91,734. “Now, the constituency's total votes stand at 3,08,672, reflecting an increase of only 16,938 votes over the past five years.”

He said this was a natural growth of votes due to the spread of new houses in the segment. “Apart from the new houses built in the segment, 5,200 plots across 160 newly constructed apartments have come up in the Tirupati Rural mandal. How can 16,938 new votes not get registered when so many new houses have been constructed," he asked.

"If one lakh bogus votes were added, the total vote count should have reached 3,91,000, but it stands at only 3,08,672 as per EC records.

Accusing Telugu Desam leaders of foul play, the YSRC leader alleged that TD leaders had filed 14,200 Form 7 applications in just four days in Nov 2023. He warned that if the EC investigates this, many TD members might face legal consequences.

“I would file defamation cases against those spreading false allegations against me and the party,” he warned.