Clashes erupt as rival candidates file nominations in Chandragiri

Tirupati: Violence erupted as candidates of the Telugu Desam and YSRC arrived at the RDO office on Thursday to file their nominations for the Assembly polls in Chandragiri.

Tension mounted outside the office when the TD’s candidate Pulivarthi Nani and YSRC's Chevireddy Mohith Reddy reached the RDO office around the same time to the accompaniment of large groups of their supporters.

Despite EC restrictions on large gatherings near the nomination venue, the police could not stop the swelling crowds of political activists from approaching the RDO office. Verbal arguments between rival sides quickly escalated into stone-pelting and clashes between TD and YSRC workers.

According to eyewitnesses, Nani and his supporters arrived on motorcycles just as vehicles carrying Mohith and his father Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy were leaving the spot after filing the nomination papers. Bhaskar Reddy's car was reportedly blocked by TD workers after Mohith Reddy completed the process. This led to stone-pelting between the two sides.

Mohith later alleged that the TD workers resorted to violence. "The development work done by chief minister Jagan Reddy has brought us closer to the people. The YSRC does not have to indulge in violence to gain the upper hand in polls," he stressed.

Nani refuted the allegations. He claimed that YSRC workers tried to stop him from filing his nomination. "No matter what the threats, our workers will work hard without fear," he said, dismissing the allegations of a conspiracy by the TD to start a clash.

Meanwhile, in Sullurpet, rifts within the YSRC spilled over to the streets. Two leaders clashed during MLA Kiliveti Sanjeevaiah's nomination rally. It started when YSRC leader Kalathuru Sekhar Reddy boarded Sanjeevaiah's campaign vehicle and entered into a verbal altercation with NDCCB chairman Kamireddy Satyanarayana Reddy, demanding his resignation from the party.

Sanjeevaiah had a tough time pacifying both leaders.