Amaravati, October 2026 : YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) State Coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Tuesday asserted that attacks, intimidation and criminal cases would not deter the party from contesting local body elections. He demanded an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the alleged police firing in Pulivendula, claiming that officers opened fire without provocation while opposition candidates were attempting to file nominations for municipal elections.
Addressing the media at the party’s central office, Sajjala accused the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government of systematically obstructing nominations, pressuring candidates to withdraw and engineering the rejection of nomination papers before claiming victories without contests.
He alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and sections of the media were projecting these unopposed victories as evidence of public support while blaming the YSRCP for violence allegedly committed by ruling-party groups. According to him, police personnel were going beyond TDP workers by directly obstructing and attacking opposition candidates.
Sajjala cited the invocation of the Preventive Detention Act against senior Dalit leader Rajaiah in Duggirala, within Minister Nara Lokesh’s Mangalagiri constituency, alleging that the action was intended to prevent his participation in the forthcoming Mandal Parishad election. He also claimed that caste and no-dues certificates were being delayed and that candidates continued to face threats even after filing nominations.
In Tirupati, YSRCP candidate J.B. Srinivas was allegedly threatened at his residence by the husband of a Jana Sena candidate. In Kadapa, police reportedly stopped around 40–50 prospective candidates, while 10–12 nominations were rejected, Sajjala said. He further alleged that the mayoral candidate’s residence was attacked on Monday night to force a withdrawal and that Deputy Mayor Nithyananda Reddy was implicated in an attempt-to-murder case.
The party coordinator said two attempt-to-murder cases in Pulivendula involved candidate Raghava Reddy and others, while 921 grassroots leaders were facing cases allegedly intended to keep them away from municipal, Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections.
He also referred to the burning of Srikanth Reddy’s office in Rayachoti, followed by counter-cases against 300 people, and alleged that similar non-bailable cases had been registered in Kadapa and Darsi. In Chittoor, candidates were recording videos to protect themselves against allegedly forged or coerced withdrawal requests.
Sajjala said repeated appeals to the State Election Commission (SEC) to remove allegedly complicit officers had yielded no effective response. He rejected the description of the incidents as ordinary clashes, insisting that the allegations warranted judicial scrutiny and immediate intervention by the poll body.
The YSRCP, he said, would continue its legal battle up to the Supreme Court, expose the government’s alleged failures and collectively resist attempts to obstruct its candidates.
“We will move forward, contest wherever possible and respect the people’s verdict. Seats secured through intimidation cannot establish public support,” Sajjala said, demanding that every candidate be given a genuine opportunity to contest without fear.
