The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Thursday again raised the issue of fake voters in Tirupati district, especially in Chandragiri constituency.
“Despite our efforts in scrupulously pointing out the presence of the deceased, persons who have shifted to other places and non-locals in the voters’ list, the same names are still present in the list. Who will take responsibility for this?” asked the party’s Chandragiri in-charge Pulivarthi Venkata Mani Prasad (Nani).
Addressing a media conference here, he said there were thousands of voters with bogus door numbers or addresses. There were several such voters in the Chandragiri MLA’s native village, hinting at his likely role, Mr. Prasad alleged. “When we questioned the booth-level officers, some divulged that the tahsildars had approved such votes,” he added.
The TDP leaders maintained that the ruling party was exerting pressure on booth-level officials and even on the assistant returning officers not to delete the fake votes. The booths were also being changed to confuse the voters, especially in TDP strongholds, Mr. Nani said.
The party appealed to the Election Commission of India to take cognisance of the irregularities in the voters’ list across Tirupati district.
