Konda complains to EC over SMS for namesake
Hyderabad: BJP Chevella candidate Konda Vishweshwar Reddy has filed a complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner and Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana regarding misleading SMS messages circulated by Congress candidate G. Ranjith Reddy and his supporters. The messages falsely claim association with another candidate named Konda Vishveshwar Reddy from the All India Forward Bloc, who is listed at Serial No. 4 on the ballot, in an attempt to confuse voters.
The SMS is being received by people in Chevella states, “I Konda Vishveshwar Reddy, contesting from Chevella-10 Parliamentary Constituency. Vote on Sl. No. 4 and elect me, TALSUR.”
The SMS, which endorses "Konda Vishveshwar Reddy", actually refers to a different candidate, not the BJP candidate whose name appears at Serial No. 2 on the electronic voting machine. He said the Serial No. 4 candidate had not campaigned in the election and was just hand in glove with Ranjith Reddy
Vishweshwar Reddy alleged that this clandestine effort to mislead voters constituted election malpractice and violated the Model Code of Conduct and Section 123 of the Representation of Peoples Act 1951. He urged the Election Commission to block the spread of these misleading messages and allow him to send SMS messages to clarify his candidacy.