VIJAYAWADA: Three Assembly election contestants, two from the YSRC and one from the Telugu Desam were injured in separate clashes in their constituencies in the Palnadu region during the elections on Thursday. In many places, the violence was triggered by TD activists and agents evicting YSRC agents from the polling booths.
In Yellamanda village of Narasaraopet Assembly segment, the clashes erupted after TD leaders forcibly entered the polling booths and pulled out YSRC agents. YSRC candidate and sitting MLA G. Srinivas Reddy reached the polling station but was attacked by TD activists. He suffered injuries to his left hand,
Mr Srinivas Reddy alleged that he had recorded the booth capturing by TD leaders using his mobile phone after reaching the polling booth but TD activists snatched the phone and deleted the recording. He alleged that the police failed to protect YSRC cadres.
At Uppalapadu in Narsaraopet Assembly constituency, TD booth agents came under attack after they tried to capture a booth by throwing out YSRC agents.
Angry YSRC cadres rushed to the spot and forcibly evicted TD agents. TD candidate Dr Ch Arvinda Babu reached the spot to protect the party agents but the YSRC activists attack him as well. He was injured on his right hand. The contestant and TD leaders staged a protest demanding repolling at Uppalapadu.
At Srinivasapuram of Gurazala Assembly constituency, firm action by officials resulted in violence ending quickly. Officials stopped polling when TD activists forcibly entered the polling booth and pulled out YSRC polling agents.
Officials refused to re-start polling till the clashes ended. TD and YSRC leaders then agreed to a truce to allowing polling to continue. In the fourth incident, TD leaders attacked YSRC Gurazala Assembly candidate Kasu Mahesh Reddy while he tried to enter the polling booth to observe the polling process at Kesanupalli.
