The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a detailed inquiry into alleged attack by the YSRCP sitting MLA Annabathuni Sivakumar on a voter who was in queue to cast his vote at Polling Station number 115 of Ithanagar in Tenali Assembly Constituency in Guntur district on Monday (May 13) morning.
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A video of the incident went viral in the State, as soon as the incident happened. In that video, Mr. Sivakumar was seen slapping the voter. Reacting to that, the voter also slapped the MLA on his face. Following which, the YSRCP cadre attacked the voter.
Responding to the incident, Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena told The Hindu that the incident has come to the notice of the ECI and has ordered a detailed probe into it. He said that they have live webcasting footage from the Polling Station. He informed that the Guntur Superintendent of Police was ordered to lodge a case against the attackers, including the MLA and others.
He further informed that, there are around 10 sporadic violence incidents in the State so far and the police has been reacting promptly and assured that the voting would be completed peacefully in a free and fair manner. He said that they have been striving to maintain a level playing field for all the contesting candidates and leaders and urged the voters to participate in a large scale. He said they expect the polling to cross over 80%.
