Published Oct 18, 2026 | 3:21 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 18, 2026 | 3:24 PM
Jagan alleged that the ruling party leaders were engaging in high-handedness across the state.
Synopsis: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused the TDP government of obstructing YSRCP candidates from filing nominations for Andhra Pradesh’s municipal elections. He alleged attacks, kidnappings, threats and police complicity, citing incidents in Kadapa. Jagan also questioned electoral roll irregularities and demanded reforms to the Election Commission appointment process.
YSRCP president and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday, October 18, questioned why his party’s candidates were not being allowed to file their nominations if the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) truly enjoyed public support in Andhra Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference, Jagan alleged that the ruling party leaders were engaging in high-handedness across the state, using the police as a shield and having false cases registered against opposition leaders.
Jagan alleged that candidates going to file nominations for the municipal elections were being kidnapped. He lashed out at the ruling party, accusing the government of keeping YSRCP leaders under house arrest and framing them in false cases.
“What is happening to democracy in Andhra Pradesh? Are the Constitution and the rule of law being upheld in our state? In the municipal election nomination process, our candidates are being prevented from filing nominations. They are being threatened and attacked. Is this how elections are supposed to be conducted in a democracy? What is the State Election Commission doing?” he asked.
“Is there any protection for opposition leaders and candidates in this state? How can free and fair elections take place when candidates are being threatened and attacked? Democracy must be protected, and every candidate must be given a fair opportunity to contest elections,” he said.
Jagan questioned the rationale behind resorting to lathi-charges and firing on those going to file nominations. He also asked why nomination papers were allegedly being snatched away and why officials at nomination centres were refusing to accept nominations from opposition candidates. He alleged multiple conspiracies related to the local body elections.
Jagan alleged that in Kadapa, the son of a former Deputy Mayor was stabbed when he went to file a nomination along with his sister-in-law. He also displayed purported videos showing the husband of Kadapa MLA Madhavi openly threatening to kill anyone who filed nominations.
Jagan also questioned what the police were doing when SAAP Chairman Ravi Naidu, who allegedly played a key role in the Punganur DSC scam, climbed onto a vehicle and publicly declared that they would not remain silent and would launch attacks.
According to the YSRCP leader, the conspiracy began with the decision to proceed with the local body elections while retaining 46 lakh “invalid” votes identified across the state through the Special Summary Revision (SSR) process, despite knowing that the final electoral roll would be released only after their removal.
Jagan alleged that TDP members had themselves enrolled “invalid” votes on a large scale in 2019, arbitrarily divided wards to suit their convenience and allocated reservations wherever and however they wanted.
Despite committing so many irregularities, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu lacked the courage to face free and fair elections, Jagan alleged.
He added that hurdles were being created by denying caste certificates and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to contesting candidates.
Also Read: Andhra Pradesh Local body polls: After Punganur, clashes continue in Kadapa and Tirupati
Taking a jibe at CM Naidu, Jagan alleged that the TDP chief was supplying candidates to his alliance partners by making them switch parties.
He also alleged that the government itself was perpetrating violence during the local body elections. Jagan questioned how hundreds of people were being allowed inside nomination centres when the rules permitted only four.
He alleged that even when only four YSRCP candidates entered the centres, they were attacked and their nomination papers snatched away, with the police cooperating with the attackers. Jagan recalled that in 2021, his party had contested the elections under the supervision of State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh, whom he described as a TDP sympathiser.
Meanwhile, House Motion petitions have been filed in the Andhra Pradesh High Court over the alleged obstruction of YSRCP candidates from filing nominations. The party urged the court to issue appropriate directives, stating that its candidates were being prevented from submitting their nominations. The YSRCP has also lodged a complaint with the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission regarding the obstruction.
Alleging that the election results in Andhra Pradesh were manipulated, Jagan demanded a complete overhaul of the national and state election commissions. He expressed ‘deep regret’ over his party’s past support for the legislative amendment that altered the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) appointment process, stressing that the 2023 law must be rectified to restore public trust.
Jagan argued that the current selection process creates a systemic flaw. With two votes held by the Prime Minister and a nominated Union Minister against one vote from the Leader of the Opposition, the ruling government effectively appoints the CEC and State Election Commissioners. Likening this setup to a student choosing their own examiner, he called for a process that ensures neutrality.
To ensure impartiality, Jagan proposed replacing the current system with a three-member panel comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
