Pulivendula, Nov 2026 : YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday alleged that democracy had been “murdered in broad daylight” during the municipal elections, accusing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) workers of occupying polling booths, driving out YSRCP agents and resorting to widespread rigging with police support.
Speaking to IANS, Jagan claimed that his party’s polling agents were prevented from entering 70 of the 80 polling booths in Pulivendula, in YSR Kadapa district. He questioned how voters could be properly identified if Opposition agents were not present inside polling stations.
“In a democracy, if opposition party agents are not allowed to sit inside polling booths, who will identify the voters?” he asked, alleging that YSRCP agents had been forcibly removed or denied entry.
Jagan arrived in his hometown to cast his vote in the municipal elections but later sat in protest outside the Returning Officer’s office, demanding a re-poll. He was accompanied by party agents who, he claimed, had been displaced from polling stations.
“Is this democracy? Are we even functioning in a democratic system?” he asked.
YSRCP alleges intimidation, booth capture and attacks
Jagan alleged that TDP workers occupied polling booths as early as 4 a.m., intimidated voters and prevented authorised YSRCP agents from entering. He claimed that chairperson candidate Prameelamma was attacked and polling agent Sunanda suffered a fractured hand.
According to the YSRCP chief, voters arriving at polling centres were stopped, threatened and sent back after their voter slips were allegedly taken away. He also alleged that bogus votes were cast before genuine voters arrived.
Jagan accused police personnel of assisting TDP workers and carrying out lathi-charges at several locations. He further claimed that a YSRCP councillor candidate was forcibly taken away in a police jeep.
The former Chief Minister said journalists and cameramen recording alleged irregularities were also attacked, with cameras and mobile phones damaged. He claimed that voters who protested after being denied the opportunity to vote were ignored.
Jagan said similar complaints had emerged from Kadapa, Jammalamadugu, Chittoor, Macherla, Chilakaluripet, Tadipatri, Madanapalle, Chimakurthy and Kuppam.
Questions State Election Commission, police and district officials
The YSRCP president questioned Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the State Election Commission, district Collectors and Superintendents of Police over what he described as a dangerous precedent.
He warned that if a ruling party could undermine the election process, other parties might adopt similar methods in the future, making genuine elections increasingly difficult.
Jagan said Naidu had no moral right to remain Chief Minister if the democratic process was reduced to a “mockery”. He claimed that nearly 1,000 police personnel had been deployed in Pulivendula, yet hundreds of TDP workers were allowed to remain around polling booths without action.
He alleged that repeated calls to the SP and Collector had not resulted in corrective measures. Jagan also questioned whether Supreme Court directions on CCTV surveillance were being followed, asking how polling could be described as transparent without live footage from polling stations.
Jagan alleges obstruction to his travel
The YSRCP chief also claimed that his journey to Pulivendula had been obstructed. He said permission for his helicopter to land, granted the previous day, was withdrawn after the aircraft had taken off from Bengaluru, with authorities reportedly insisting that he arrive only after 3 p.m.
Jagan said the landing was eventually permitted after Civil Aviation authorities objected to the cancellation while the helicopter was already airborne.
He argued that democratic institutions were in a dangerous condition if bodies meant to protect citizens were instead acting against them. He warned that a loss of public faith in democratic institutions could encourage extremist tendencies.
Government faces criticism over unfulfilled promises
Jagan questioned why the government was resorting to such measures if it enjoyed public confidence. He alleged that the “Super Six” and “Super Seven” promises had not been implemented and that bonds distributed before the elections had become meaningless.
He said students were suffering because of pending fee reimbursement, while beneficiaries of Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena schemes were facing difficulties. Employees, women and farmers, he added, were dissatisfied over unfulfilled promises, the loss of zero-interest benefits and a lack of remunerative prices for agricultural produce.
“No section of society is happy with Chandrababu. That is why they are afraid of free elections and are trying to bulldoze the electoral process instead of facing the people,” Jagan said.
He called on the NDA leadership and the Central Government to respond to the situation in Andhra Pradesh, arguing that they could not remain silent when an alliance partner was allegedly undermining the electoral process.
The allegations made by Jagan and the YSRCP were not independently verified. The party has sought intervention by election authorities and demanded a re-poll in Pulivendula.
