VIJAYAWADA: Former BJP state president and senior party leader Kanna Lakshminarayana has sought that State Election Commission (SEC) give chance to file fresh nominations for the forthcoming municipal elections in Andhra Pradesh. In support of his suggestion, he alleged that ruling YSR Congress leaders had forcibly stopped many aspirants of opposition parties from filing their nominations when polls were originally announced last year before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lakshminarayana was speaking after a joint meeting of BJP and Jana Sena leaders on Friday over the municipal polls in Guntur district. Leaders of the two parties discussed how they should move forward in the upcoming municipal elections.
The senior BJP leader said many candidates belonging to opposition parties had been forcibly prevented by the ruling party leaders from filing their nominations in majority of the places. He said under the democratic system, everyone has the right to contest elections, but YSRC bigwigs had snatched away this right, which is severely objectionable. He sought that the SEC give another chance to aspirants for filing their nominations.
Lakshminarayana maintained that development of cities and towns in the state is possible only if the BJP-JSP combine wins the municipal polls.
He promised that their alliance will ensure that no additional taxes are levied on house construction, land conversion and tap connections. He alleged that earlier, the TD regime extorted money from people through Janmabhoomi committees. At present, YSRC is doing the same through volunteers. He charged that anarchy is prevailing in the Palnadu region because of the ruling party MLA.
At a separate programme, BJP state president Somu Veerraju and women leaders of the party campaigned in Division 18 of Guntur corporation for corporator candidate V. Narendra Kumar. Veerraju underlined that the central government has provided Rs. 1,250 crore for the development of Guntur city and Rs. 1,000 crore for Vijayawada.
Veerraju said the BJP alliance will develop infrastructure in cities and towns under the centre’s Amrut (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme. He asserted that BJP is moving ahead with its goal of developing Andhra Pradesh through Prime Minister Narendra Modi's corruption-free rule in the country. Similarly, BJP-JSP combine will work for a corruption-free society in AP, the BJP state chief added.
