Kadapa Elections: Webcast Demanded

APCC Vice-President Madasu Gangadhar, Congress General Secretary Rudraraju Padmaraju, TDP MLC Dadi Veerabhadra Rao and former TDP MLA Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdhary on Tuesday urged Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal to monitor closely the free cash and liquor distribution in the Kadapa district.

After meeting the CEO separately, the above-mentioned leaders told media persons at the Secretariat on Tuesday that actor Bhanuchander had enacted a scene of "Jesus carrying the cross" on Good Friday as part of the campaign for YSR Congress Party candidate Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

The TDP expressed its surprise that no action was initiated against Jagan for such initiating such a campaign. The party also alleged that the former MP had also distributed free wrist watches, cash and pens with YSR's images inscribed on them.

Veerabhadra Rao disclosed that the TDP had submitted a list of 122 polling stations in which more than 80% of the votes were cast in the favour of a single candidate in the 2009 elections.

The leaders demanded that the Election Commission Of India (ECI) arrange webcasting cameras in all the 122 said polling stations to monitor the voting on the day of the election. They reminded the CEO that the ECI had assured that the said webcast technology would be used in the current by-elections.

The Congress leaders demanded that check-posts be erected to check the flow of illicit liquor and cash.

The CEO is understood to have assured them that re-polling would be held if any malpractice was detected. (INN)