Vijayawada: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday placed a Polling Officer (PO) and Mandal Panchayat Officer (MPO) under suspension for failing to give appropriate information related to destroying of an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) by YSRCP MLA Pinneli Ramakrishna Reddy at Palvai polling booth in Macharla.
Interacting with media persons, Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena said eight police teams led by a Superintendent of Police were formed to nab Pinneli and exuded confidence that the YSRCP MLA would be arrested soon. He made it clear that the ECI has taken a serious notice of the polling booth incident and the MLA’s action.
Advising the TDP leaders not to visit Macharla at this juncture because of tense situation, Meena said the situation was becoming normal now and it would be advisable for the TDP leaders not to visit Macharla to console the party leaders, who suffered injuries in the post-poll violence.
He said instructions have been issued asking outsiders not to visit Macharla and the villagers should not venture out till completion of counting on June 4. Referring to YSRCP senior leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy’s question to ECI on how visuals related to EVMs vandalism were leaked, Meena clarified that the visuals were not leaked from EC and as part of investigation the actual truth would come out.
Meena said he would be visiting strong rooms across the State from May 25.
